How to read your electricity meter
National Energy Action is the national charity, helping you with your energy bills. This leaflet helps you identify the type of meter you have to make sure you’re correctly submitting meter readings. This could help you to avoid falling into debt.
Types of electricity meter
This guide includes information about common meter types but there are lots of different styles so yours might look slightly different to the pictures. If you’re not sure about your reading, use your latest bill as a guide or call your supplier for advice.
Smart meters
All meters are either smart or traditional.
If you have a smart meter, your supplier should automatically be getting accurate meter readings. This means no more estimated bills. You can contact your supplier to request a smart meter and in-home display. You don’t need to have an in-home display if you don’t want to.
Usually, you don’t need to, but you can get a reading from the smart meter itself or from the in-home display. It can also show your usage in pounds and pence. Look at your user guide to find out how to read your particular model.
This smart meter reading is 55733. The in-home display will show the meter reading, hourly and daily costs.
Prepayment meter
Using a prepayment meter means you pay for the energy before you use it. You’ll get a key (for electricity).
If you have a traditional prepayment (non-smart) meter you must go to a shop with PayPoint or PayZone or to a Post Office to charge (add credit) to your key. You then insert it into your prepayment meter.
If you have a smart prepayment meter you can also top up by using your supplier’s app, website or by phone. The display window on traditional and smart prepayment meters can show:
- units of energy you’ve used
- any fixed charge from your
energy supplier - the rate per unit of fuel
- the amount of credit topped up
- current credit
- any outstanding debt
- any debt repayments
- remaining emergency credit if the energy meter runs out of credit
Analogue meter
Write down all the numbers from left to right, including any zeros at the start. Ignore any numbers after the decimal point or shown in red, on the right. The reading below is 48307.
Digital meter
These are like an analogue meter, except the display is digital. Write down all the numbers from left to right, including any zeros at the start. Ignore any numbers after the decimal point or shown in red. The reading below is 13772.
Economy 7
Economy 7 is different because it’s a tariff rather than a meter. It means you are charged two different unit rates. You’ll be charged a cheaper unit rate usually from 12 midnight to 7am and a more expensive unit rate during the rest of the day. Households with storage heaters will usually benefit from an Economy 7 tariff. With an Economy 7 tariff, you’ll have two meter readings to take. Find your meter type and follow the instructions on these pages. Repeat, so you get both readings. The two readings will differ by name. For example, high and low, on-peak and off-peak or rate 1 and 2. If you are unsure, refer to your energy statement or contact your supplier.
Glossary
Actual bill – a bill generated using actual meter readings either from a smart meter or provided by the user or a meter reader.
Dial meter – an old-style type of meter that has clock faces reading left to right. Electric has five digits to read, and gas has four.
Economy 7 – a tariff that charges the user two different unit rates. Seven cheaper off-peak hours overnight and 17 more expensive on-peak hours in the day. You will have two readings to take.
Estimated bills – a bill generated when an actual meter read is not possible. The supplier estimates the reading based on average previous usage and time of year.
Imperial meter – measures gas usage in cubic feet or ft³.
In-home display – a small hand-held device that comes with a smart meter. You can use it to view energy usage in kWhs, pounds and pence and set budgets.
kWh – stands for kilowatt hour and is measurement of how much energy you use.
Metric meter – measures gas usage in cubic meters or m³.
Prepayment electric key – lets you ‘top up’ your electric traditional prepayment meter at a shop. Plug the key into the meter and the top-up is added to the credit balance.
Prepayment gas card – lets you ‘top up’ your gas traditional prepayment meter at a shop. Plug the card into the meter and the top-up is added to the credit balance.
Prepayment meter – a meter that needs to be ‘topped up’ before you use it either at a shop with a key or card, or online for smart prepayment meters.
Priority Services Register – Provides support, for vulnerable customers. Go to www.thepsr.co.uk or your supplier.
Smart meter – a meter that sends accurate readings to your supplier automatically. Your bills will be accurate, not estimated.
Traditional meter – a meter that is non-smart. You must provide a reading to your supplier or have a meter reader do it on your behalf.
Smart prepayment top-up cards – allows you to ‘top up’ your smart prepayment meter at the shop. The credit should be automatically added to the meter.