5 facts about meter readings and why they’re important
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Whether you pay by Direct Debit or on receipt of your bill, meter readings play a key part in keeping your energy account up to date. If you’re not sure how to take a meter reading, check out our handy guides here.
We’ve put together five top facts about meter readings to remind you of the role they play.
1. Meter readings ensure you’re billed accurately for your usage
Without them, we’ll have to estimate your energy usage, which could result in over- or under-charging. If we have to estimate your usage for a long period of time, you also risk receiving a catch-up bill for any extra usage we haven’t billed you for yet.
2. They help to balance supply and demand
Energy suppliers need to know how much energy to buy to cover their customers’ usage, so regular meter readings reduce the amount of energy wasted.
SMS estimates smart meters will contribute to a 77% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2035
Thanks to the smart, flexible network which will allow for more green generation.
3. We use Calisen Metering to carry out our meter read visits
We send out meter reading agents if we haven’t received a meter reading for a while. Occasionally, you may still be visited by a meter reading agent if you have a smart meter too. Don't worry, they just need to make sure everything’s running as it should – energy suppliers have an obligation to check their customers’ meters at least every two years, regardless of whether they’re smart or not.
4. You have a five-day window to give meter readings before your bill is produced
ShapeYour energy account works in a monthly billing cycle. This means that you’ll have a set bill date and your ‘billing window’ (when you can give meter readings specifically to be used in your bill) will be open for five days before this. If you don’t manage to submit a reading in this window, just give our team a call on 0345 555 7100 or email home@ecotricity.co.uk and we can revise your estimated bill*.
Remember, if we don’t receive a meter reading, we will estimate your bill based on:
Previous energy usage at the property
National average usage for your area
The time of year (it’s assumed that you’ll use more energy in winter than summer)
* We’ll soon be updating our online account to allow you to do this yourself – keep an eye out for more information coming soon.
5. If you have a smart meter, we’ll receive meter readings automatically
Smart meters use a secure, encrypted server to send your meter readings to your supplier. Not only does this save you the hassle, but it also saves CO2 by reducing the need for meter reading agents to be on the road.
Some smart meters can’t submit readings automatically due to signal issues. If this happens, we’ll take steps to fix it, including sending a prompt to recommission the meter remotely or sending out an engineer to manually check it.
Book your smart meter appointment today by phoning 0345 555 7100 or emailing home@ecotricity.co.uk.
Not with Ecotricity yet? Switch to Britain’s greenest energy company today.
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