Water Meter Reading and Bill Calculator

Who this is for

Your water use between readings, turned into an estimated bill. Write each meter reading with its date and the sheet works out the cubic metres used, the days covered and the litres a day, then prices it at the water, sewerage and fixed charges from your own tariff. The summary projects a year's cost at the current rate of use.

Households on a water meter who want to know what the next bill is likely to be, spot a jump in use early or see whether saving water is showing up.

What this helps you track

• Every water meter reading with its date
• Cubic metres and litres per day used between readings
• The water and sewerage charge for each period at your rates
• A share of the fixed yearly charges for each period
• An estimated bill to date and a projected yearly cost

How to use it

1. Copy the water rate, sewerage rate and fixed yearly charges from your own tariff or last bill into the header, with the date you start the log.
2. Read the meter and write the date and the reading in cubic metres, ignoring any red figures after the decimal point unless you want litres.
3. Read it again on the same day each week or month and add a new line.
4. The use, days, litres per day and charges are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, take each reading from the one above.
5. Compare the summary's estimated bill with the real one when it arrives, and look into any period where litres per day jumps.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

My sewerage is charged as a percentage of water used. What do I enter?

Work out the sewerage cost per cubic metre of water supplied from your bill, by applying the percentage to the sewerage rate shown, and enter that figure as your sewerage rate. The sheet then multiplies it by the metres used.

How are litres per day calculated?

The cubic metres used between two readings are multiplied by 1,000, since a cubic metre is a thousand litres, and divided by the days between the readings.

How are the fixed charges shared out?

The yearly fixed charges you enter are divided by 365 and multiplied by the days in each period, so a long gap between readings carries more of the fixed charge than a short one.

Why does the first line show zero in the calculated columns?

Usage is the difference between two readings, so the first reading is only a starting point and shows no use or charge. Everything is calculated from the second line onward.