Faulty energy meter? Rule these things out first
Meters can be faulty, but many “faulty meter” cases actually turn out to be estimated bills, wrong readings, wrong registers, hidden usage or a misunderstanding of standing charge. That is why ruling out the common causes first usually makes your case stronger.
Why it is worth ruling other causes out first
Suppliers and advisers often treat meter faults as a later-stage explanation because they are rarer than billing or reading issues. If you arrive with a clean set of ruled-out alternatives, your fault concern lands more credibly.
Related guides
What makes a fault more plausible
- The bill is high and other causes have already been checked properly.
- Usage behaviour did not change in a way that explains the jump.
- The reading movement itself looks abnormal relative to known conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Are faulty meters common?
They are possible, but many high-bill cases turn out to have another cause.
What should I check before suggesting a fault?
Reading type, serial number, standing charge, billed days and normal usage changes.
Can a smart meter problem look like a faulty meter?
Yes. Communication or register issues can create confusing bills without proving the measuring device itself is faulty.
Rule these out first — in this order
Not to be difficult, but because each one is more likely than a faulty meter, each is faster to check, and a meter test that comes back accurate can cost you around £200 and end the argument.
| # | Check | How | If this is it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is the bill estimated? | Look for E next to the readings. | Submit an actual reading and ask for a rebill. Nothing wrong with the meter. More |
| 2 | Are the registers swapped? | Two-rate meter: is the cheap night rate being applied to your day usage, or vice versa? | Ask them to check the register mapping. More |
| 3 | Is the serial number right? | Compare the meter plate with the bill. | Possible crossed meters. More |
| 4 | Is it the standing charge? | £314.74 a year on dual fuel at current cap rates, before any usage. | Not a fault. More |
| 5 | Has something changed? | New occupant, new appliance, a heat pump, an EV, working from home, a colder winter, an immersion heater left on. | Not a fault, but worth finding. |
| 6 | Does the meter advance with everything off? | Turn off at the consumer unit for 15 minutes and watch. | Now you have a fault case — or crossed meters. |
Check 6 is the one that changes the conversation. A meter that keeps counting with the entire property isolated is either faulty or not measuring your property. Photograph the display at the start and end with the times visible. That single piece of evidence is worth more than any amount of arguing about the total.
The independent meter examiner — the route almost nobody uses
If you genuinely believe the meter itself is inaccurate and the supplier will not accept it, there is a statutory route that sits outside the supplier entirely. Very few people know it exists.
Ask the supplier first
You must raise the accuracy concern with your supplier and be dissatisfied with the response before the independent route opens.
Contact OPSS
The Office for Product Safety and Standards appoints independent meter examiners. Ask your supplier to arrange it, or contact OPSS directly if they will not.
The examination
An on-site check with a supplier representative present, then the meter is removed for laboratory testing. You get a written determination.
| What happens | |
|---|---|
| The examiner's test | Free. The determination is a formal, independent finding — not a supplier opinion. |
| If the meter is found faulty | The determination states how far outside legal limits it was and estimates how long it had been wrong. The supplier then has to deal with over- or under-billing for that period. |
| If the meter is found accurate | Your supplier may charge you for removing and replacing it. Figures around £200 are commonly quoted. Ask your supplier for its charge in writing before you commit. |
Be realistic about the odds. Government guidance notes that the vast majority of meters tested are found to be working correctly. That is why this page keeps telling you to rule out estimates, wrong registers, serial mismatches and standing charges first — not to protect the supplier, but because those are far more likely to be your actual problem, and because a determination that the meter is fine costs you money and closes the argument.
Independent examiners are appointed under meter accuracy legislation and operate separately from suppliers. Check the current process on GOV.UK before starting — contact details and charges change.
If the meter is found faulty
The determination states how far outside the legal limits the meter was and estimates how long it had been that way. What happens next depends on the direction of the error.
The meter over-recorded
You were overcharged. The supplier should recalculate the affected period and refund the difference. Ask for the refund as money back rather than as account credit, and ask how the corrected usage was calculated.
The meter under-recorded
You used more than you were billed for. The supplier can seek the difference — but the 12-month back-billing rule still applies to charges for energy used more than a year before the bill, and you can ask for a payment plan spread over at least as long as the fault ran.
Either way, ask for the corrected period, the assumed correct consumption and the calculation. A determination that the meter ran 8% fast does not by itself tell you what the bill should have been.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my meter is faulty?
The clearest test you can do yourself: turn everything off at the consumer unit for fifteen minutes and see whether the meter still advances. Photograph the display before and after with the times. If it moves, you have something real. If it does not, work through estimates, registers and serial numbers first.
Does a meter test cost anything?
The independent examiner's test is free. What can cost you is your supplier's charge for removing and replacing the meter if it turns out to be accurate — figures around £200 are commonly quoted. Ask your supplier for its charge in writing before you commit.
What if the meter is found to be under-recording?
The supplier can pursue the shortfall, but the 12-month back-billing rule still limits how far back it can charge, and you can ask for a repayment period at least as long as the fault ran. A meter fault is not something you caused.
Who appoints the independent examiner?
The Office for Product Safety and Standards. You must raise the accuracy concern with your supplier first and be dissatisfied with the response; then either the supplier arranges it or you contact OPSS directly.