How to read your meter

Okay, we’re going to show you how to read your Gas and Electricity meter. This will depend on which type you’ve got.

Electricity ones first.

Electric 1 - Rate Meter

Do you have a single rate digital style meter like this? If the answer is ‘yes’, simply write down the digits as you read them, from left to right. Include any zeros at the start, but ignore any digits in red or which come after the decimal point. That’s it

Electric 2 - Rate Meter

If your meter has two rows of figures like this, it’s a 2-rate economy 7 or white meter. One set of readings is for your lower priced night-rate electricity - this will be marked ‘low’ or ‘night’. The other is for your day rate and is marked ‘normal’ or ‘day’.

Again, write down the numbers from left to right. Include any zeros at the beginning, and ignore any numbers in red or which appear after the decimal point. If it’s a digital style meter, the first reading you see will be your night reading. Press the display test button until the next reading appears.

Electric Dial Meter

If you’ve got a dial meter like this, write down the readings from left to right, including any zeros at the start and ignoring any red dials. Starting with the left most dial first, write down the number that the pointer has just passed. Don’t worry if it’s nearer one number than the other.

If the pointer is anywhere between, say, 4 and 5 you should write down 4.

If the pointer is sitting directly over a number, say, 4 and the dial to the right is registering between 0 and 1, write down 4. If the dial on the right’s pointer is registering between 9 and 0, it’s 3.

Example:

Looking at this example, the correct reading is 56206.

Next, let’s look at gas meters. Digital ones first.

Gas Imperial Meter

If your gas meter has a row of five numbers like this, it’s an Imperial digital style meter. Simply write down the numbers from left to right, including any leading zeros but ignoring any numbers in red or which come after the decimal point.

So if your meter looks like this, your meter reading is 3715.

Gas Metric Digital Meter

If the row is six numbers long, your’s is a metric domestic meter. Again, simply write down the numbers as you read them, from left to right. Include any zeros at the start, and ignore any digits in red or which come after the decimal point.

In this example, the meter reading is 44917.

Gas Dial Meter

If you’ve got a dial meter like this, ignore the top set of dials completely. We’re only interested in the bottom row. Now, write down the readings from left to right, including any zeros at the start. Always write down the number that the pointer has just passed, not necessarily the one nearest the pointer. So if the pointer is anywhere between, say, 1 and 2 write down 1.

If the pointer is sitting directly over a number and the dial to the right is registering between 0 and 1, write down whatever number the pointer is on. If the dial on the right’s pointer is between 9 and 0, write down the number before.

Example:

This example shows a meter reading of 1243.

We hope that’s helped. If you’ve any more questions, please consult our virtual assistant ‘Katie’.