How Do You Read a Meter Stick

Meter readings and energy rates are the two nigh of import elements that make up energy bills.

Giving meter readings to your supplier ensure you pay for the right amount of usage. Without them your supplier will estimate how much energy you're using.

Free energy rates on the other hand are how much your supplier charges for each unit of measurement of free energy that y'all apply.

We explain how to requite a meter reading but likewise how to make sure you're on the best bargain.

Meter readings

Energy rates

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How practice y'all read an electricity meter?

At that place are three types of Electricity meters: single rate meters, two rate meters as well as dial meters. Electrical meters are e'er in kWh (kilowatt hours). Pictured below is a single rate meter and a dial meter.

Single rate meters

Read the numbers from left to correct and don't include any numbers in red or after the decimal point. This electricity meter reading is 01967.

Ii rate meters

2 charge per unit meters are mainly used for economy 7 or economic system 10. It records two readings, one for your twenty-four hours usage and one for dark usage. Twenty-four hours usage is called 'normal' and night usage is called 'low'.

For case the electricity meter in a higher place would be recorded as:

Depression (night): 80506

Normal (twenty-four hours): 97192

Ii charge per unit meter on one brandish (digital meter)

Some ii rate meters accept one digital display. To view the 24-hour interval and nighttime usage you'll need to press a button to wheel through the readings.

The readings may exist labelled as RATE 1 (R1) and RATE two (R2). You lot may also accept other rates or readings on the meter which could be the live usage or the full usage.

The rate number and information technology's correlation to 24-hour interval or night depends on how the meter was set up. For example Charge per unit 1 could mean 'mean solar day' for one meter but 'night' for another.

To figure out which is which, make a notation of the readings in the morning and see which reading has avant-garde by midday.

Dial meters

Dial meters can exist quite confusing merely they're not too bad once you go used to them.

The dials go around in alternating clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. You read the meter from left to correct. Similarly to single charge per unit meters you ignore whatsoever numbers in red.

When the arrow is between two numbers, record the lower number. If it's between the 9 and 0, record 9.

When the pointer is directly on a number, first check the next dial to the right. If the dial on the correct reads 8 or ix, and so lower the reading for the dial with the pointer directly on the number.

For case the reading for this dial meter would be 60168.

How do you read a gas meter?

Gas meters look similar to electricity meters and tin can be read in the same way. Yous can identify the types of meter by the units. Gas meters are always in 'm3' or 'ft', although suppliers catechumen this into kWh on your energy bills.

You lot can multiply by eleven.2 in gild to calculate the kWh.

Electricity is e'er in kWh.

To read your gas meter, follow the same instructions as those for how to read an electricity meter.

How practise you read a smart meter?

If you switch suppliers with a 1st generation smart meter or if your new supplier doesn't work with smart meters yet so you will need to give the meter readings to your supplier. The meter will no longer be able to automatically send meter readings to the supplier, but you volition be able to manually take down meter readings from your smart meter!

Smart meters with a Keypad

Printing nine on the keypad to encounter your reading.

Your electricity reading will be followed by 'kWh' and your gas reading will be a number followed past 'm3'.

Similarly to standard meters, ignore the numbers after the decimal point.

If you lot have a two rate meter or economic system 7 meter then press half-dozen on the keypad until you come across 'IMP R01' followed past 8 digits. This is your first reading.

For yous second reading press vi again until you see 'IMP R02' followed by 8 digits.

The readings can too be listed as Charge per unit 1 and Rate 2, or Charge per unit 1 and Rate 4. To observe out which is twenty-four hours and nighttime, record which number advances during the day/night.

Smart meters with a Green button labelled 'A'

Press the light-green button until you run across 'Full Act Import'. A reading should appear followed by 'kWh'.

For two rate meters or Economic system 7 meters your meter volition take a '01' and a '02' reading, which you'll observe by pressing the 'A' button. Yous should record both numbers.

Smart meters with 'A' and 'B' buttons

Press the 'A' push until y'all see 'Credit On', then press information technology once again to show 'Meter Index', and once more to prove your readings. Retrieve not to include any numbers later on the decimal signal.

Meter readings for electricity will bear witness in 'kWh', for gas readings it volition be in 'm3'.

Smart meters with no buttons

The screen will bicycle through the readings. The number starting with 'R1' is your electricity reading.

How to read a prepayment meter

To get your electricity usage on a prepayment meter, press the blue push to cycle through the screens. Each screen is labelled with a letter of the alphabet. To detect your meter reading you need to cycle to screen 'H'.

If you pay unlike rates for day and night and then these will be on screen 'H' and 'J'.

To see your gas reading press the cherry-red push or the 'A' button and cycle through to the 'meter index' screen. This is your gas usage.

What do my meter readings mean?

Meter readings tell energy suppliers how much gas and electricity you lot are using. If you lot don't give your supplier meter readings they will judge your usage.

You unremarkably stop upwards paying as well much or too petty on estimated usage. This means y'all could be building up credit or slipping into dept accordingly.

If you're in credit, groovy! You can reduce your monthly payments and put the extra money back in your pocket.

If you're in debit you lot could be hit with a steep payment increment and be prevented from switching supplier. Condom to say, it'south better to pay for your exact usage by giving meter readings.

The energy regulator, Ofgem, has classified usage into a depression, medium or high (this is what Wait After My Bills use if you estimate your usage with the states). They summate these figures from the median usage of dual fuel customers paying direct debit.

Practise yous know if you're a low, medium or high user?

What are energy rates and how do they affect the cost of my free energy beak?

Energy rates are the defining gene in energy tariffs or deals. Therefore the rates are what y'all utilise to compare energy tariffs and deals to make sure you're not paying over the odds for your energy.

There can exist two free energy rates applied to your free energy bills. Offset there is a daily toll called the standing charge. This is not affected by how much free energy you lot utilize. Secondly in that location is the price of the unit rate per kWh which is applied to you usage.

24 hour energy usage (kWh) x unit of measurement rate toll per kWh + daily continuing charge = the price you pay

At that place are 2 types of tariff:

A fixed rate tariff that fixes the rates for a menstruum of fourth dimension, usually one year. Stock-still tariffs are normally the cheapest deals on the market.

Whereas a variable tariff can vary considering it reacts to wholesale energy costs. This means your costs are probable to get upward and downwardly. Supplier standard tariffs are variable and are normally the well-nigh expensive tariff you can exist on.

The standard tariff is what suppliers roll you on to once your fixed term bargain ends. Information technology'due south vital to switch free energy tariff each year to avoid paying the extra costs. This is why automobile-switching services accept get and then popular in the last few years because it's all done for you.

How do you know if your free energy rates are expensive?

The about expensive rates are for the standard variable tariff, yet suppliers give these tariffs different names so they are non ever easy to spot on your beak.

For example someone who uses a pocket-size amount of energy, only is on their suppliers standard variable tariff could be paying more than a medium user on a groovy fixed energy bargain.

Ane indication is whether you accept leave fees on your bill because standard variable tariffs practice not have exit fees.

Y'all can also compare your energy rates on a recent neb with the rates of cheap deal on comparing websites.

If yous don't desire the fuss, another way to know whether y'all have expensive rates is to sign up to a service who volition check for yous.

Our service, Look After My Bills, finds you a great energy rates and we manage the switch process every year. Every bit a result y'all'll always be on a cheap tariff and you don't have to lift a finger! Find out how it works.

How to become a good bargain

If yous compare the market and have moved to a fixed energy bargain in the last 12-xviii months and then you're probably on a decent deal. Yous should gear up a reminder for when the deal ends though to avoid existence rolled to the standard variable tariff.

If yous oasis't changed your energy deal in the last 12-18 months then information technology'due south highly likely you are on your suppliers standard variable tariff – the nearly expensive.

The simply mode to ensure you're on a good deal every twelvemonth is to compare the market and switch every time your deal ends.

In that location are 4 ways to switch energy supplier, simply the most important thing to remember is that you need to stay on top of switching.

We found switching energy supplier each year was hard to keep upward with. So nosotros created a solution. Our service does all the comparing for y'all! With ane, free, two minute sign up to Expect After My Bills nosotros find you the all-time available deal and switch you to it every twelvemonth!

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Source: https://lookaftermybills.com/blog/meter-readings/