Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 69834 on Water Charges, whether households can request that the smart element of smart water meters is deinstalled.

Smart water meters provide an increased regularity of data, in comparison to standard meters, which enables water companies to identify leaks in the property and can help incentivise more water efficient behaviours assisting in reducing overall water consumption. If customers are concerned about their bills increasing, many companies offer the option to switch to the lowest tariff if they find that their metered bill is more expensive.