How to read your electricity and gas meters
If you're on a standard meter and don't send meter readings to your supplier, you'll most likely end up with an estimated bill, which could mean you end up over-paying or under-paying.
Under-paying might sound like a good thing, but unfortunately at some point your energy supplier will want their money, leaving you with an unexpected bill to pay.
Why do I need to know how to take a meter reading?
It's important to be able to read your electricity meter and gas meter to make sure your bills are accurate. Once you know how to take a meter reading, it's easy to submit the reading to your supplier. Many providers offer a meter reading upload feature on their app or when you log in to your online account, so there's usually no need to call.
if you can't reach your meter, it might be worth looking into moving it or asking for extra help from your supplier to take readings.
How to read different energy meters
There are a number of different types of energy meters out there. These range from modern smart meters, which tell you how much energy you’re using in real time, to prepayment meters, which you need to top up manually.
Single-rate digital meter
A single-rate digital meter shows five numbers which might be followed by one or more numbers in red. You only need to note down the first five numbers and ignore the one in red. The meter reading here would be 34907.
Two-rate digital meter
A two-rate digital meter is used when there are two rates (one for daytime usage and one for night-time usage) that need to be submitted. The rows will be labelled so you know which is which. You only need to note down the numbers before the red number. You can ignore the red number. The readings here would be 34319 and 18802.
Two-rate single display digital meter
A two-rate single-display digital meter will have two rates for daytime and night-time use, but the display will only show one rate at a time. The readings may switch between the two rates automatically or there may be a button on the meter you need to press to see the second rate. The meter should tell you which reading is for which time of day so make sure you write both down. The readings here would be 81927 and 55849.
Dial meter
Dial meters are less common now than they used to be now that digital meters exist. If you have one, they're still simple to read.
An electricity dial meter will have five or more dials (a gas dial meter will have four or more dials) next to each other with numbers running from 0 to 9. The numbers are alternately arranged clockwise or anticlockwise. The dials turn to point to a number. Write the numbers in order from left to right to get your reading. If the pointer on the dial is in between two numbers, write down the lower one.
For electricity dial meters: if the pointer is directly over a number, write down the number and underline it. Check the next dial to the right. If the pointer on that dial is between 9 and 0, reduce the previous number you underlined by 1 (e.g. if you originally wrote down 7, change it to 6).
The dials show a reading of 15659 but the actual reading would be 15649 because the fourth dial pointer is pointing at 5 but the next dial is between 9 and 0, so we change the 5 to a 4.
Digital metric meter
A digital metric meter has five numbers, a decimal point and some more numbers. You only need to write down the numbers before the decimal point. Ignore everything else. The reading here would be 16442.
Digital imperial meter
A digital imperial meter shows four numbers, followed by 2 numbers shown in red. Write down the first four numbers and ignore the numbers in red. The reading here would be 1719.
How to read a prepayment meter
It's estimated that about four million homes in the UK have a prepayment meter. They work in the same way as a pay-as-you-go mobile phone – you will only have access to energy as long as you keep your meter in credit. The way in which you top up depends on what type of prepayment meter you have. Some require a token or a key and in some cases you can top up online or via an app.
You should be able to see how much credit you have left on the meter's screen so you know when you're getting low and need a top-up.
How to read a smart meter
All UK households are expected to have been offered a smart meter by the end of 2025, and the latest smart meter statistics show that more than 2.76 million domestic meters were installed across the UK in 2024. Smart meters have a number of advantages over traditional energy meters. The main benefits are that, because the meter automatically sends readings to your supplier, you should get more accurate bills and you don't need to manually submit meter readings or have someone come round to read them for you.
If you’re curious about your energy usage, though, you can use the in-home display that comes with your smart meter to see how much energy you’re using in real time.
How can I save energy?
If your meter's showing that you're using a lot of energy, there are a lot of ways you can bring your usage down to keep your bills at a more manageable level. Reducing tumble dryer usage or cutting down shower times are small things that can have a significant effect. You can also use apps like Utrack to see where you're potentially using energy unnecessarily, so you can lower their usage. This should help households conserve energy and lower energy bills.
You can find over 100 energy-saving tips for every room in the home here.
You can also compare energy deals to see if you can save by switching to a new tariff. More suppliers are bringing deals back to market so there are more options available than there have been for the last couple of years. Run an energy comparison by clicking below.
Run an energy comparison
Click here to compare energy prices and get started on your energy switch.
