Should I take a meter reading before the price changes?
Why a reading on the day matters on a variable tariff, how to take and submit one that will actually be accepted, and what to do if you miss the date.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
If you are on a variable tariff and the unit rate is changing, take and submit a reading on or as close as possible to the change date — otherwise the supplier estimates the split between old and new rates, and that estimate is not in your favour if usage is rising into winter. Photograph the meter with the reading visible, submit it through your account or app the same day, and keep the photo.
This matters because of how a bill is constructed. If your rate changes on a given date and the supplier has no actual reading for that date, it has to apportion your usage across the period — normally pro rata by day. That is fine when consumption is flat. It is not fine when the price rises going into autumn, because a pro rata split assumes you used the same amount per day in September as in October, when in reality your usage climbs sharply after the change. The result is that some of your cheaper-rate allowance is effectively spent on the expensive side. A reading on the day removes the guesswork entirely.
Safety
Step by step
- Find out whether it affects you.If you have a working smart meter sending automatic readings, the supplier already has the data and you need do nothing. If you are on a fixed tariff that is not changing, there is nothing to protect. This matters most for traditional meters, and for smart meters running in dumb mode.
- Note the date the rate changes.Your supplier will write to you before a change, and the regulator's cap periods change on fixed quarterly dates. Put the date in a calendar with a reminder the day before.
- Read the meter correctly.On a digital meter, read the digits from left to right and ignore anything after a decimal point or in a differently coloured box. On a dial meter, read each dial left to right, taking the lower number when a pointer is between two, and if a pointer is exactly on a number, check the dial to its right — if that reads 0 to 1, use the number; if it reads 9, take one off.
- Read both rates if you have Economy 7 or a two-rate meter.There will be two registers, often labelled rate 1 and rate 2, or low and normal. Submit both. Submitting only one is a common cause of a bill that makes no sense afterwards.
- Photograph the meter with the reading visible.A photograph with the digits legible is your evidence, and photographs carry a date. This is what settles a dispute months later, and it takes five seconds.
- Submit it the same day.Through the supplier's app or online account, which timestamps it. A reading submitted a week later for a date a week ago is often accepted, but a same-day submission cannot be argued with.
- Check the next bill actually used it.The bill should show your reading and the date, and should split the period at the change. If it shows estimated for that period, contact the supplier with your photograph.
- Do the same when you move in or out.The same logic applies with more force at a change of occupancy, because the alternative is being billed for someone else's usage. Read the meter on the day, photograph it, and give it to both the outgoing supplier and the new occupier or landlord.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a smart meter always means you need do nothing — A significant number of smart meters have lost their communications link and are silently sending nothing. Check that your account shows recent actual readings rather than estimates.
- Submitting a reading without keeping the photograph — The photograph is the only independent evidence you have if the reading is queried, and it costs nothing to take.
If it doesn't work
Missed the change date
Cause: Forgot, or were away — Fix: Submit a reading as soon as you can. The supplier can still apportion more accurately from a nearby actual reading than from a purely estimated one, and it is better than nothing.
Supplier rejected the reading as implausible
Cause: Automatic validation against expected usage — Fix: This usually means a digit was misread or the registers were swapped. Check the photograph against what you submitted, and ring them with the photograph if it is genuinely correct — an unusually high reading can also be a leak or a fault worth investigating.
Meter is behind a locked cupboard or inaccessible
Cause: Communal meter room, or a meter box you have no key for — Fix: Ask the supplier or the managing agent. Suppliers have an obligation to obtain readings and can arrange access, and you should not be forced onto permanent estimates because of it.
Bill still shows an estimate for that period
Cause: Reading not applied — Fix: Contact them with the dated photograph and ask for the bill to be reissued. Suppliers do this routinely.
Prepayment meter and a price change
Cause: Rates change on the meter rather than on a bill — Fix: Top up before the change if you can, since credit is usually applied at the rate in force when you top up. Check with the supplier because implementations vary between meter types.
Questions people ask
Does this really save money?
It does not change your usage or your rate. What it does is stop cheaper units being wrongly attributed to the expensive period, which on a rising price going into winter can be a meaningful amount on a large bill. It is accuracy rather than a saving.
When do prices normally change?
For customers on a standard variable tariff, the regulator's price cap is reviewed quarterly and the levels are announced in advance of each period. Your supplier will also write to you. Fixed tariffs change at the end of their term instead.
What if my supplier disputes my reading?
Send the photograph. If it is not resolved, suppliers have a complaints process, and after eight weeks — or if you receive a deadlock letter — you can take it to the Energy Ombudsman free of charge.