All new houses built from god knows when have to be fitted with water meters, the water companies want EVERYONE on a meter, thats why you can get one fitted free. It must cost them a bit to fit each one as they subcontract out, the path has to be dug up and re concreted over etc.
We got one put in a year ago and our bills are pretty much the same, it works out a lot more expensive on a meter compared to rates though.
Two bed flat and our metered bills and slightly less than our rates were and we never have a bath and never use a hosepipe. So i can see water charges going mad over the next 10-15 years as more and more are metered.