When an Electricity meter is changed over does the meter readings get set to Zero's?
Neighbour just knocked and asked me this because she had a swipe card meter previously and changed to a standard meter,but when she went to look at the meter after the installer had gone she noticed the meter's reading was at a set of numbers rather than Zero's.
She wants advice first before contacting electricity supplier.
Thanks.
When I've had GAS meters changed, one arrived with a few thousand on the clock, and so was presumably refurbished, it was changed again recently and that had 99998 or similar, so I got a couple of m^3 free.
It's been a while, but IIRC the installer records the end reading for the old meter and the start reading for the new one and it's all handled in the next bill. Just tell her to keep a note of the present reading (maybe with you as a witness). The excuse for starting other than at 0 is "we have to test 'em".
Chris
Did the guy changing the meter leave a card at the meter position with the readings of the old and new meters? He should have done, get her to check around the meter position.
Meters need to be tested - certified accurate - before being issued. That will usually account for perhaps 6-8 units. Alternatively meters which have been recently - say within 5 years of being certified - may be reissued without certification, so that may have quite a high reading.
When the meter is changed, the guy will have taken note of the readings of the old and new meters; this is fed into the company's billing program and when her next bill comes the account is adjusted to take care of any change of meter.
Why is that 'an excuse'? It's a reason, and a perfectly valid one. The meters are checked and certified accurate as a requirement of Electricity Statute Law for the protection of the customer. Resetting the register to zero would probably invalidate the certification.
It certainly used not to be the case with mechanical ones. Even if completely new, there would always be an initial reading from the meter testing. They might also be reused after having been removed from another property and retested. I would be surprised if electronic ones could be reset, as that would make them more open to fraud, if someone cracked the way to reset them, so they probably come with an initial reading too. The installer should have taken a note of the reading on both the old and the new meters and either given that to the consumer, or written them on a label attached to or near the new meter.
Colin Bignell
That sounds normal, but you might suggest that your neighbour make a note of the reading now so that she can check that they've recorded the numbers correctly when the first bill comes.
The first time we had ours replaced, our 'new' meeting reading was actually higher than the one they replaced. Luckily we had made a note of both numbers because our next meter reading generated a bill for about £500. They had written the old and new numbers the wrong way round and hence double charged us for the difference.
A couple of phone calls sorted it, but only because we had our own records. Moving from pre-pay to a standard meter shouldn't give the same problem.
When United Utilities changed the meter, a card should have been left (usually tucked behind the meter) stating the mpas number of the meter removed & the final reading on it. Likewise with the new meter, giving the start reading & date of installation.
Don.
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