If you’re worried about the amount you’re spending on energy, you can use the information in your meter to keep an eye on your energy use.
Your appliances are using more energy than you realise.
It’s winter, and you’re using more energy than you did during the summer.
It’s possible (but very unlikely) that your meter is clocking your energy use too fast (find out more in the next section).
It’s very unusual for meters to clock too fast. In fact, over 80% of supposedly faulty meters that are tested are found to be clocking absolutely accurately.
If you’d like us to carry out a Meter Accuracy Test (MAT), we can send an engineer round to do this for you. It will cost £138.32 for a gas meter, and £89.25 for an electricity meter, and we’ll ask you to pay the charge up front.
If your meter does turn out to be faulty we’ll refund the cost of the test.
Before you ask us to carry out a MAT, there are a couple of simple tests you can do yourself to see if your meters are overclocking.
Creep test (electricity)
Turn off your power at the fuse box and check if the electricity meter is still clocking consumption. It should have stopped, as no electricity is being used – so if it’s clocking, it probably is faulty. You’d still need to pay upfront for a Meter Accuracy Test, but we could say fairly confidently that you’ll get your money back when the engineer has completed the test.
Burns test (gas)
Start by turning off all your gas appliances and heating. Turn on one item, such as a single gas ring, and then watch the meter for a few minutes. For a single gas ring we'd only expect the meter to clock a few kilowatt hours over the course of five minutes. Make a note of the amount the meter clocks up, and if you decide to call us about this, you can tell us the figures you’ve noted, and our advisors will be able to judge whether your meter’s working properly.
If you’d like to reduce the amount you spend on gas and electricity, it’s important to be aware of exactly how much energy you’re using.
The best way to keep an eye on your energy use is to have a smart meter.
You can have a smart meter installed free of charge. So we’ll we’ll let you when know our engineers are working in your area to offer an upgrade. Before we book your appointment, we’ll ask you a few questions to make sure your property is suitable for smart meters.
There are also many other ways you can make sure you’re using as little gas and electricity as possible. To start with, you’ll find some great energy-saving tips on our website and in our OVO guides.
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