How to read your gas and electricity meters

Information and guides on how to read the different types of gas and electricity meters available. This also includes Smart meters

Find your meter type below and follow the steps to read your gas and electricity meters.

Traditional Pay As You Go meters
Electric Meters
Gas Meters
Help and Information

Traditional Pay As You Go meters

Electricity key meter

Insert the key into the meter and press the blue button to move through the different screens.
Screen H will show your meter’s current reading.
If you have a 2-rate meter move to screen J to view the second reading.
If you have a 3-rate meter move to screen L to view the third reading.

Gas meters

If your gas meter has dials, please note the numbers in black.
If your meter has an LED screen, press the black button twice and then the red button to show the ‘Meter Index’ screen.
The Meter Index is your reading.

Electric Meters

Electric 1 - rate meter

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.

Electric 2 - rate meter

If your meter has two rows of figures as seen above, it's a 2-rate economy 7 or white meter.
One reading is for your lower priced night-rate electricity - this will be marked 'low' or ‘rate 1’
The other is for your day rate and is marked 'normal' or 'rate 2’.
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 those which come after the decimal point.

Electric Dial Meter

An electricity dial meter has 5 or more dials. They each turn to point to a number between 0 and 9.
Starting with the far-left dial, write down the number that the pointer has just passed. For example, if the pointer is anywhere between, 4 and 5, you should write down 4.
If the pointer is sitting directly over a number, write this down and underline it.
If you’ve underlined a number, check the next dial to the right. If the pointer on that dial is between 9 and 0, reduce the number you’ve underlined by 1. For example, if you originally wrote down 4, change it to 3.

Watch the video below for more help on reading this meter type.

Gas Meters

Gas imperial meter

If your gas meter has a row of five numbers, it's an imperial digital meter.
Write down the digits as you read them, from left to right including any leading zeros.
Ignore any numbers in red or which come after the decimal point.

Gas metric digital meter

If the row is six numbers long, you have a metric domestic meter.
Write down the digits as you read them, from left to right including any leading zeros.
Ignore any numbers in red or which come after the decimal point.

Gas dial meter

A gas dial meter has 4 or more dials. They each turn to point to a number between 0 and 9.
Starting with the far-left dial, write down the number that the pointer has just passed. For example, if the pointer is anywhere between 4 and 5, you should write down 4.
If the pointer is sitting directly over a number, write this down and underline it.
If you’ve underlined a number, check the next dial to the right. If the pointer on that dial is between 9 and 0, reduce the number you’ve underlined by 1. For example, if you originally wrote down 4, change it to 3.

Watch the video below for more help on reading this meter type.

Help and Information

For instructions on how to read your smart electricity and gas meter(s), visit our handy walkthrough guide here

We’ll receive meter readings from your smart meter automatically in line with the meter read frequency you have selected. There may be occasions when we need to provide a manual meter reading, for example:

If you’ve recently switched your energy supply to us, but we cannot connect to your meter.
Communication issues with the meter.
You want to check your meter reading - for example, to see how it’s changed recently.
You’re changing supplier and the new company is requesting a reading.

If you have a smart meter that is communicating properly, we’ll receive meter readings from your smart meter automatically in line with the meter read frequency you have selected.

If you have a traditional meter or we have issues obtaining a reading from your smart meter automatically, there are three ways you can submit a meter reading:

Log in to your online account and select ‘Enter Meter Reading’.
Download the free ScottishPower App, log in and enter your readings in the app.
Call our 24-hour automated meter reading service on 0800 027 8000.

We recommend providing meter readings so that your bills are based on energy you’ve used rather than relying on an estimate.

If we have to provide estimated bills, you may build up a credit (meaning you’re paying too much) or debt on your account (meaning you’re not paying enough).

An adjusted bill is provided when the bills we’ve sent you previously have been based on estimated meter readings and we’ve now received your actual meter readings. We use the actual reads you or one of our meter readers has collected to recalculate your charges and give you an adjusted bill to reflect the energy you’ve used. We can issue an adjusted bill up to 12 months after we have issued the original estimated bill. This is in line with your terms and conditions (Section 8.8).

There’s no need to provide regular meter readings if you have prepayment meter. Your meter readings are sent to us automatically each time you top up with your key or card.

There may be occasions when we need to provide a manual meter reading, for example:

If you’ve recently switched your energy supply to us, but we cannot connect to your meter
Communication issues with the meter
You want to check your meter reading - for example, to see how it’s changed recently.
You’re changing supplier and the new company is requesting a reading.

How to read your gas and electricity meters

Contents

Traditional Pay As You Go meters

Electric Meters

Gas Meters

Help and Information

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