How to Submit Meter Readings to a Supplier

A meter reading is submitted through whichever route the supplier offers, and most offer several: the website by logging into an account, a mobile app, by phone, by online chat, by email and by text¹. The reading itself is the run of digits on the meter face or screen before the decimal point, read left to right, with red digits and anything after the decimal ignored². The figure is entered against the right meter and, on a two-rate meter, against the right rate.

Timing matters more than most people expect. Most suppliers require at least one meter reading per year, but the working rule is a reading at least once a month, ideally on the same day of the month so each bill covers a comparable period¹. A reading that lands shortly before a bill is produced is the one that turns an estimate into an actual charge; a reading that arrives afterwards moves the correction onto the next bill instead.

A smart meter working in smart mode removes the task altogether. It automatically sends electricity and gas readings to the supplier³, at least once a month as a minimum, with daily or half-hourly collection as options⁴. Manual readings remain necessary when the meter is not in smart mode, when switching supplier, after a move, or when the supplier asks for one to confirm recent usage⁵.

The methods suppliers accept

The menu is broadly standard across the market. A customer can generally choose between the supplier's website by logging into an account, its mobile app, the phone, online chat, email and text¹. Individual suppliers arrange these differently. Octopus offers a monthly meter reading reminder that takes a reading without an account log-in, an online route, a mobile app that scans the figures from the meter using the phone camera, and email¹. OVO lists a camera scan through its app, manual entry in the app, the online account, online webchat and a phone line on 0330 175 9676¹.

Camera scanning is convenient but is still a manual reading: the photograph is of the same digits a person would copy down, and a misaligned or dirty display can produce a wrong figure. Whichever route is used, keeping a note of the figure and the date it was sent is what allows a later bill to be checked.

Where a household cannot read its own meter, the supplier route changes. Most energy suppliers will send a meter reader to the home on a regular basis if they are made aware of the circumstances, which matters for customers with sight loss⁷. Ofgem's expectation for the Priority Services Register is set out plainly:

A supplier may also send someone to the property if no reading has been submitted for a long time, or if the household cannot take its own readings, and may visit to check that everything is working¹. If a meter is suspected of running fast or slow, a supplier might install a second meter for a couple of weeks to compare the readings, sometimes called a check meter⁹. More on that in reporting a faulty or inaccurate meter.

When a smart meter sends readings for you

A smart meter automatically sends electricity and gas readings to the supplier³, using a secure data network managed by the Data Communications Company rather than the household's own broadband¹⁰. Government guidance states that readings should be sent automatically by the smart meter to the energy supplier¹¹. The practical consequence is that the household does not need to submit meter readings itself and gets bills based on accurate meter readings and not estimates³.

Frequency is a household choice within limits. Monthly is the minimum, with daily and half-hourly as options¹². Where no preference is expressed, a supplier can collect a daily meter reading¹². Automatic reads may be monthly, weekly, daily or even half-hourly¹³, and Smart Energy GB describes readings as sent at least once per month¹⁰. Half-hourly data is what makes time-of-use and dual-rate tariffs workable, and a smart meter gives access to more flexible tariffs, including dual-rate tariffs³.

The dependence does not disappear, it changes shape. The meter reports to the supplier over a network the household neither owns nor controls, and except by switching, a household does not control the tariff the supplier sets, though it can change how much energy it uses¹⁴. Smart meters can also fail: a meter may stop recording the energy used, or may no longer send readings to the supplier³. When that happens the manual reading becomes the fallback again, and the ability to read the meter face by hand is the household's own check on what it is being billed.

Reading an electricity meter: press 9 or A until the screen shows IMP or IMPORT

On an electricity smart meter, the correct screen flashes or includes the word IMP or IMPORT, with a number followed by kWh⁶. How you reach it depends on the buttons²:

In Northern Ireland, keypad meters are read by pressing 9 on the meter or the keypad unit to display the reading¹⁵. Homes with generation have an import and export meter. On one common type the default display shows a small 0 followed by five numbers, which is the import reading, while pressing the blue button repeatedly brings up a small 5 followed by five numbers, the export reading¹⁶. On a keypad import and export meter, pressing 9 three times shows IMP Units for total import, and the figure after Exp Units is the export reading¹⁶. Where a meter alternates between displays by itself, showing each reading for about ten seconds, the buttons should be left alone while it cycles¹⁶.

Traditional meters are read from the digits or the dials. A standard digital meter gives five black numbers read left to right, with red numbers ignored¹⁷. On a dial meter, read the first five dials from left to right, ignore any red dials or dials marked 1/10, take the lower number where a pointer sits between two figures, and write 9 where it sits between 9 and 0; where a pointer is directly over a number, underline it and reduce it by one if the next dial is between 9 and 0¹⁸. Detail for each type is in how to read an electricity meter.

Reading a gas meter: VOLUME or METER INDEX and a number in M3

On a gas smart meter the screen flashes or shows the word VOLUME or METER INDEX, with a number followed by M3⁶. Most gas smart meters in Great Britain show the reading as numbers followed by m3¹⁹. The routes differ by model: on a meter with A and B buttons, press A until METER INDEX appears and read the numbers next to m3; on a keypad meter, press 9, wait for VOLUME to change to numbers followed by M3; on a meter with one button either side of the screen, press either and wait for 01 with numbers followed by M3¹⁹.

Traditional gas meters split into two families. Most are metric, showing readings in cubic metres and having five numbers to read; imperial gas meters, meaning dial meters and some analogue ones, show cubic feet and have four numbers²⁰. Other guidance puts the same point as the first four or five numbers depending on the meter²¹. On a gas dial meter, read the first four dials from left to right, ignoring the large dials or red dials, and write down the number the pointer is directly over¹⁸. Digital metric gas meters are read as the five numbers from left to right including the zeros, excluding red numbers and anything after the decimal point²².

Units matter at the bill stage rather than the submission stage: the supplier converts the volume to kWh. Where an annual reading is in cubic feet, one conversion figure given is to multiply by 2.83 to convert to metres²³. The method is set out in converting gas meter units to kWh. The gas supply is identified by a Meter Point Reference Number, or M number, shown on the gas bill and the meter²⁴, and that number is what ties a reading to the right property.

Which digits to write down and which to ignore

The rule that covers almost every meter is the same: write the numbers left to right, ignore zeros at the beginning, ignore numbers after the decimal point, and on an electricity meter look for numbers followed by kWh². On a digital metric meter, only the numbers before the decimal point are needed and everything else is ignored²⁵. On a digital imperial meter, write down the first four numbers and ignore the numbers in red²⁵. On a two-rate digital meter, note the numbers before the red number and ignore the red number²⁵.

Colour and fractions are the usual traps. Red digits, and digits marked 1/10 or 1/100, record fractions of a unit and are not part of the reading²⁶. One guide puts it as the first five numbers with red numbers after the decimal point or comma ignored⁶; another as the first five figures, ignoring the last figure if it begins with 0.1¹⁷. On dial meters, dials without numbers or hands are disregarded entirely²¹.

These are the readings most often rejected as implausible. A figure that includes the red digit is ten times too large and will usually fail a supplier's validation check, as will a reading lower than the last one submitted, which a meter that only counts upwards should never produce. Where a reading is refused, the practical response is to re-read the meter face, check that the figure has been entered against the right fuel and the right rate, and resubmit. Persistent rejection, or a reading that does not match consumption, is a meter question rather than a billing one.

Day, night and Economy 7: why some meters show more than one reading

Some electricity smart meters show separate readings for day and night tariffs, Economy 7 pricing, and peak and off-peak usage². An Economy 7 meter is a two-tier rate system: usage during the day and the night is charged at different rates, with the night rate less expensive²⁷. That means two readings, not one²¹.

Labelling varies, which is where readings get transposed:

• Two sets of numbers, one marked low, meaning night, and one marked normal, meaning day²⁸
• Rate 1 and Rate 2, or R1 and R2, on some digital meters⁶
• A single number marked day rate alongside a red button pressed to show the night rate²⁸
• On digital and prepayment Economy 7 meters, each reading reached by pressing a button²¹

The convention is that the daytime or on-peak reading is the top one, marked normal or day, or the default display, and the night or off-peak reading is the bottom one, marked low or night²¹. Smart Energy GB describes the two sets as typically marked low and normal²⁹. On an Economy 7 smart meter with a keypad, pressing 6 until IMP R01 appears followed by eight digits usually gives the night or off-peak reading²². The presence of two meter readings, a low or off-peak rate and a normal, high or on-peak rate, or a button to press to see each rate on an electronic meter, is how a household identifies that it is on Economy 7 at all³⁰. A single-rate meter, by contrast, prompts for one reading only, flat rate all day²⁶. Whether the arrangement pays is covered in Economy 7 and night-time use.

Where manual readings are still needed

Even with a smart meter installed, readings can still be provided manually if the supplier requests them². The situations that call for one are reasonably predictable²:

1. Switching supplier.
2. Moving home.
3. The meter temporarily losing its connection.
4. Wanting to monitor energy use more closely.
5. Meter settings having been changed.
6. A switch made with a first-generation SMETS1 meter.
7. The supplier asking to confirm recent usage.

StepChange lists the same exceptions as switching, moving, and the supplier being unable to take automated reads⁵. The SMETS1 case is the most common: those meters could temporarily go dumb and lose their ability to send automatic meter readings after a switch³¹, in which case readings may need sending to get an accurate bill following the switch³², and possibly to both the old and the new supplier³³. Trading standards guidance notes that a new supplier might not offer all smart meter services, such as remote meter readings, and the meter may need replacing³⁴. Ofgem makes the same point where a supplier goes out of business: the meter may not work in smart mode with the new supplier, and readings may need to be taken manually and submitted instead, though it may work in smart mode again if tariffs or suppliers change³⁵. In that situation a reading should be taken as soon as possible and a record kept, so the new supplier bills correctly³⁵. The steps are set out in switching energy supplier and meter readings when moving home.

Where a meter cannot communicate over its designated wireless network, a supplier may ask for a temporary manual reading so that bills remain accurate until the problem is resolved³⁶. A household without a smart meter still needs to submit manual readings to avoid an estimated bill¹⁰. Requesting a refund of credit also requires an up-to-date reading so the supplier can calculate the actual credit due³⁷.

What happens after you submit: estimated bills and how they are corrected

A submitted reading replaces an estimate with an actual charge. Bills carry a code for which is which: an estimated read generally says estimated or e next to the reading, while a c or an a indicates a customer-supplied or actual reading³⁸. On a standard meter, not sending readings most likely produces an estimated bill, meaning over-paying or under-paying²⁵. Taking a reading regularly and sending it to the supplier is the stated way to avoid being overcharged³⁷.

Estimates persist for a while after a smart meter goes in. The first bill received after installation may still be estimated, and continuing estimated bills after that are a reason to contact the supplier³⁶. Once the meter is working, readings are sent automatically and bills are accurate rather than estimated³⁹, with the supplier billing only for energy used⁴⁰.

Inaccessible meters are handled by the supplier rather than the household. Where a meter is awkward to reach, or the householder has sight problems, the supplier should arrange for someone to read it²¹, and may be able to give extra help to read or move the meter¹⁸. Moving a meter is covered in moving or replacing a meter, and disputed bills in making an energy complaint.

One timing point worth noting comes from Ofgem's metering guidance for a scheme with fixed reading dates: the submission window is a four-week period, from one week before the meter reading date and up to three weeks after, and if a reading is missed and submitted three months later, payment for the previous six months is made in one payment⁴¹. The principle generalises: a late reading does not lose the energy recorded, it delays the correction.

The DCC network, and why no Wi-Fi is involved

Sending a smart meter reading does not require an internet connection, because smart meters work using the DCC's secure, standalone network¹³. Readings are transmitted from the home to a wide area network made up of mobile phone or radio masts⁴². No home Wi-Fi, broadband, router or internet package is needed for a smart meter to send readings⁴. The network is solely for smart meters and does not use the internet³⁶, and it was designed with cyber security experts including the government and GCHQ, using a closed, dedicated communications system³⁶. The DCC states that 1500000 meters sit on its network⁴³.

For a household thinking about energy independence, this cuts both ways. The reading route is independent of the home's own broadband, so a router failure or a dropped line does not stop billing data flowing, and it does not consume the household's data allowance. But the data path is owned and operated by a central body and read by the supplier, and the household's own visibility comes from the in-home display, which shows energy use during the day⁴⁴ in real time in pounds and pence⁴⁵. A smart meter is provided free by the supplier, with no upfront charge³, and energy companies have been asked by the government to take all reasonable steps to install them, while a household does have the right to refuse one¹². A supplier may be able to set a meter to work in dumb mode with all communications switched off¹², which returns the household to manual readings by choice rather than by fault. The wider picture is in taking more control of your home's energy and in the home energy how-to guide.