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Switching, Billing & Compliance
Meter Fault
Key takeaways
- A meter fault is a defect that causes a meter to under-record, over-record, or stop recording energy use.
- The Meter Operator is normally responsible for investigating and replacing faulty meters.
- While a fault is investigated, expect provisional bills based on estimates; insist on a re-bill once the fault is confirmed and a corrected baseline is known.
What is a meter fault?
A meter fault means the metering equipment isn’t measuring electricity or gas use accurately. Symptoms include reads going backwards, jumping wildly between cycles, freezing on the same number, or not communicating from a smart meter to the supplier.
On half-hourly sites a fault can also show up as suspicious patterns in the data sent by the Data Collector to the supplier.
How to report a suspected fault
- Take a clear dated photo of the meter and any error code on the display.
- Note the readings on the day you flagged it.
- Report to your supplier — they will arrange for the Meter Operator to inspect.
- Open a disputed billing case for any bills that look wrong while the investigation runs.
After the fault is confirmed
The supplier should re-bill the affected period using an agreed methodology (often based on the corrected meter’s readings or load profile comparisons).
Any resulting overpayment can be progressed as a refund claim.
