When should I submit a meter reading?
Your cost of living questions answered
Emma Munbodh
|Deputy editor
Updated September 30, 2022
You asked:
I understand the energy price cap is rising on 1 October. Does that basically mean my unit rate will go up on that day? I’m on a standard variable tariff, should I take a meter reading and when? Does that apply even if I’m on a smart meter?
Our reply:
Fuelled by surging demand for power after the pandemic, and the disruption to supplies caused by the war in Ukraine, energy bills in the UK are soaring.
The new price cap for the average household has been frozen at £2,500 a year. That will last until 2024 – but the cap will vary by household, depending on your actual usage.
That’s because it’s not a cap on annual bills, it’s a cap on how much you will pay for each unit of gas and electricity used – measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).
The £2,500 figure is based on average unit use of 12,000 kWh a year. Use less than this, and you could pay less, and vice versa. Most households will also get a £400 discount on top.
Under the Energy Price Guarantee, the unit rates will rise from:
Gas: 7p per kWh to 10.30p per kWh. Standing charge: 28.49p per day.
Electricity: 28p per kWh to 34.00p per kWh. Standing charge: 46.36p per day.
To give an example, a four-bed home is estimated to use 18,000 kWh of gas and 4,600 kHw of electricity per year. This equates, at the new unit rates, to an annual cost of £1,854 for gas, and £1,565 for electricity – for a total energy-usage bill of £3,419. Breaking this down further, the monthly cost is about £285.
Meanwhile, for a typical medium-use household with three bedrooms, the usage is put at 12,500 kWh of gas and 3,100 kWh for electricity, bringing annual costs to £1,287 and £1,473 respectively – a total yearly usage bill of £2,760. The monthly cost works out at about £230.
These figures also factor in the standing charge, the fixed daily amount that you have to pay, whether you turn the lights on or not.
Think of the standing charge as basically line rental for energy. It covers the cost of supplying your property with gas and electricity.
Why a meter reading is important
If you pay by direct debit and aren’t on a smart meter, your energy supplier will regularly read your meter or ask for a reading to calculate your bills.
That means your monthly payments are likely to be estimates. Every time it receives a reading, it will recalculate your bill based on your actual usage. That explains why you may find yourself in credit in the summer when your bills are the same but your usage is down.
If you don’t send a reading when requested, your supplier will continue to estimate your usage and your bill might end up too high or low. This could lead to you being hugely in debit. In other words, in debt to your supplier.
Another advantage of regular readings is that you will be able to keep tabs on your energy use and, where possible, make adjustments to save money.
If it’s hard for you to do a reading or the meter is inaccessible to you – particularly if you are elderly or vulnerable – your supplier may be able to provide extra help or even to move the meter. You will need to contact the firm to find out your options.
Estimated readings does not mean your supplier can charge you whatever it wants. It’s important that you know your rights on whether it can increase your direct debits and by how much.
Should I submit a meter reading before the October price rise comes into place?
Yes, every time the price cap changes, it’s a good idea to check and submit your meter reading before it comes into effect. This will ensure all of your usage up until that date is charged at the lower unit rate.
If you don’t do a reading, the energy firm will most likely make a best guess as to what your usage was before October 1 and what proportion after that date, and then bill you according to those estimates.
In that scenario, it can be very difficult to prove your usage up until that point, and disputing it can get messy and complicated.
When do I need to submit a reading?
The general rule is to submit a meter reading as late in the day as possible on 30 September.
Some suppliers will allow extra time for this to avoid any panic after phone lines, websites and apps crashed due to demand in April.
That means you can take a meter reading now (take a photo, too, and make sure it has a time stamp on) and then submit it when the phone lines and websites are less jammed.
Customers supplied by Octopus Energy, for example, have a week to submit their readings, provided they were taken on October 1, while E.ON customers have five days.
British Gas has set a deadline of October 14, assuring customers there was “no rush”, and Shell Energy has offered households a window of up to 30 days.
Bulb assured customers they would be allowed to backdate a reading if they could not submit one in time.
Some providers may also offer other options.
British Gas contacted customers asking them to text their reading during the last price cap increase. EDF previously had a form that users could fill in online. The suppliers then adjusted the usage later on and readjusted bills retrospectively.
How to take a meter reading
There are two steps you need to take:
1. Do the actual reading
Locate your meter and then submit the first five numbers shown on the display to your energy supplier.
With a digital metric gas meter, there are eight numbers. So say the reading shows:
12567.1122 – you only submit the 12567
Digital electric meters show five black and white numbers, followed by a red one. You don’t have to worry about the red number.
If you get cheaper electricity at certain times, you might have a “dual rate” meter. This means it will have two rows of numbers.
The top row (labelled “low” or “night”) shows how many units of cheaper power you have used. The bottom row (“normal” or “day”) shows how many units of standard-price electricity you’ve used.
2. Submit the reading
Once you have your reading, you will need to submit it. You can do so:
Online. Bear in mind that some sites crashed in April when the current price cap came into effect so websites are likely to be slow and some might be temporarily down.
Over the phone. Be warned, phone lines will be extremely busy. Avoid unless you have no other option.
On the app. You need to make sure you have an active online account to do this. Check ahead of time so you don’t get stuck on the eve of 30 September.
Do I need to submit a meter reading if I have a smart meter?
In theory, smart meters should take real-time readings but some don’t. This could be because they are first generation meters or because the signal strength isn’t strong enough.
To be on the safe side, always take a reading for future reference, following the same steps above.
I’m worried about rocketing bills, is there any help available?
Energy bills are sky-rocketing so it’s important that you know what help you’re entitled to. A discount of £66 or £67 will be applied to most households’ energy bills every month from October until March 2023.
Some will get double that while those under the disability bracket will get £150 extra in September. See all you need to know, here.
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