When do you need to give a meter reading?
A meter reading is used to measure how much electricity and gas you’ve used and calculate your statement. Find out why it’s important to submit them regularly, how to submit them, and how getting a smart meter will help make sure your bills are always based on your actual energy usage.
What are meter readings?
Energy meters record how many units of electricity and gas you use at home. Energy suppliers use them to work out your statement. If you don’t have a smart meter, you’ll have to remember to take and submit meter readings once a month.
Do you need to submit a meter reading if you have a smart meter?
No. One of the benefits of having a smart meter is that it sends us meter readings automatically, which means you don’t have to submit them yourself.
Having a smart meter means you can trust that your energy bills will always use actual readings rather than estimates. If you want to have one installed, please register your interest.
Why is it important to submit regular meter readings if you don’t have a smart meter?
We will email you a prompt each month to submit a meter reading.
If you pay on receipt of your statement, we use your meter readings to work out exactly how much you owe for that month.
If you pay via a fixed Direct Debit, which splits your estimated annual usage into equal monthly payments, meter readings are used to check whether your payments are set at the right amount to cover your usage. If they show you’re using more energy than estimated, your monthly payment amount can increase, and if they show you’re using less energy, your payment can be decreased.
Do you need to submit a meter reading when your tariff changes price?
If you send meter readings when prompted to each month, it’s less important to submit a reading when your tariff changes. This is because we will have a much more accurate view of your monthly energy usage and the difference between an actual and estimated reading is likely to be very small.
But if it has been a long time since you submitted a meter reading, there could be a bigger difference between your actual usage and our estimates. In this case, it’s a good idea to submit a reading when your tariff changes price.
Submitting meter readings when the price cap changes
Energy companies across the UK can face a surge of thousands of people submitting meter readings before prices change, including many who don’t need to give one. This can cause longer waits on the phone or being unable to get through online – an experience we would like to help you avoid.
You only need to give a meter reading when the price cap changes if you do not have a smart meter and are on a tariff that is covered by the energy price cap. Customers who are on our SVT and fixed tariffs are not affected by changes in the price cap.
Like many other suppliers, we are able to accept meter readings from a particular date for around five days afterwards. So on busy days such as when the price cap is due to go up, you can cut your chances of having to wait on hold by submitting your reading a day or two later
How to submit a meter reading
As explained above, if you have a smart meter, we’ll collect your readings automatically and add them to your energy account.
If you don’t have a smart meter and need to submit manual readings, there are a couple of ways to do this:
- Log into your online account – submit meter readings quickly and easily using pre-stored details, such as your meter serial number. You can also see all your past meter readings.
- Get the Good Energy mobile app – similar to the online account, you won’t have to enter all your meter details each time you submit a reading.
