Coquitlam residents now have the option to purchase a residential water meter and pay for their actual water use.
COQUITLAM, B.C., October 2, 2025 – Coquitlam residents now have the option to purchase a residential water meter and pay for their actual water use, instead of paying an annual flat rate for water and sewer.
The new Voluntary Residential Water Metering Program provides an opportunity for property owners who are careful about their water use to spend less on their utility bills. Under the recently approved program, the City of Coquitlam will cover 50% of the cost of installing the water meter, with the resident paying for the other half either in a lump sum or divided over the next three years.
Billing with a Water Meter
Properties with a water meter will not be billed the annual flat rate water and sewer charge each February. Instead, they will receive their metered water and sewer bills every four months. Like other utility bills, the balance due will include a fixed base charge as well as total consumption charges. It is estimated that approximately 65% of single-family properties will pay less each year on their water and sewer bill if they were metered.
You Might be a Good Candidate for a Water Meter If …
- You have little to no outdoor water use, or have efficient systems in place such as drip irrigation and rain barrels.
- You have already taken steps to minimize your indoor water use including low flow toilets and energy efficient appliances. Residents can apply for a low-flow toilet replacement rebate here.
- You already follow Coquitlam’s tips and tools to save water.
- Your property is not slated for redevelopment in the immediate future.
- You are looking for ways to save on the annual cost to maintain your home.
Details on the program are at coquitlam.ca/ResidentialMeter. To find out if you may be a good candidate for a voluntary water meter, contact the City’s Engineering and Public Works team at epw@coquitlam.ca or 604-927-3500.
Cost and Financing Options
Once the meters are installed, the City of Coquitlam will own them and be responsible for their repair, maintenance and end-of-life replacement. Most residential homes will require a 19mm meter, but some larger homes or properties will require larger meters.
To increase accessibility, the City offers a payment plan for the meter and its installation fee. Property owners can choose to have their portion of the costs added to their metered water and sewer bill, prorated over three years.
The 50% homeowner cost for installation of the various size meters, either lump sum or by nine installments over three years, are:
- 19mm meter -$1,511
- Installments: $189.60 (equivalent to $47.40/month)
- 25mm meter -$1,677.50
- Installments: $209.20 (equivalent to $52.30/month)
- 38mm meter -$3,026
- Installments: $367.91 (equivalent to $91.98/month)
- 50mm meter $3,344
- Installments: $405.33 (equivalent to $101.33/month)
These installment figures are calculated over a three-year amortization period and shown as 2025 rates including a small financing and administrative surcharge
How to Apply
Property owners can apply online at coquitlam.ca/ResidentialMeter. Applications are open now for installation in 2026 with metered billing starting in 2027.
Strata and Multi-family Dwellings
There are also opportunities for duplexes, triplexes, townhouses and stratas to participate in the program.
- If each half duplex has a unique water service, each property owner can apply for a water meter and be billed independently from their neighbour.
- If a duplex has a single water service, both owners need to agree to install a meter. The metered water and sewer bill would be shared between owners.
- In a multiplex property where the units are individually owned and on a single parcel, all owners would need to agree for a water meter to be installed. Each owner would cost-share the metered water and sewer bill.
- In a larger multi-family strata, the strata would need to submit the application and the City would cover 50% of the installation cost. Once metered, multi-family strata owners would no longer pay the annual flat water and sewer rates directly to the City. Instead, metered water and sewer bills would be sent to the strata every four months for payment to the City by the strata, and the strata would apportion the cost to each owner.
Learn more and access the online application at coquitlam.ca/ResidentialMeter.
Water Facts
- Coquitlam residents and businesses currently use 20 million cubic metres of water each year. About 70% of that, or almost 14 million cubic metres, is used by residential customers.
- Almost 50% of single-family properties have very little or no outdoor water use.
- Being able to better detect leaks through water metering is estimated to reduce overall single-family residential water use by 10-15% or 20-30 litres per person per day.
Fairness in Fees and Water Conservation
Aligned with common practices in the Lower Mainland and worldwide, Coquitlam’s voluntary residential water metering program supports the principle of fairness in fees for service and provides more choice for property owners.
Residential metering will also improve leak detection capability and support additional water conservation, which is a key goal of Coquitlam’s Environmental Sustainability Plan and Climate Adaptation Strategic Plan. Since January 1, 2025, all new residential development applications are required to install a residential water meter.
Media contact:
Jonathan Helmus
Director, Utilities
604-927-3500
epw@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.