How to move your gas or electricity meter

Why would I need to move my gas or electricity meter?

The most likely reason you’d need to move a gas meter is if you’re undertaking building work or extending your home, which might involve knocking down a wall that the meter is attached to or removing the cupboard it sits in. The same applies to electricity meters.

You might also consider moving your meter if you’re finding it difficult to read or access in its current position. Due to the level of work and cost involved in moving a meter, it wouldn’t necessarily be worth moving it on a whim.

Can I move my meter myself?

You cannot move your meter yourself. Not only is it dangerous (for instance, the gas supply would need to be turned off throughout the process in case of accidents), but it’s illegal for anyone but a licensed professional to change the position of a meter.

Who can move my meter?

In terms of the people who can actually move your meter, it largely depends on where you wish to move it to. If you’re looking to make a small positional change (i.e. within a metre of its original placement), your energy supplier should be able to take care of it for you.

However, if you’re looking for a more significant location change, you will probably need to get in touch with your electricity distributor or gas transporter to have them take care of it instead. You might also need a registered gas or electricity technician to do other work around the relocation, such as reconnecting your supply.

How long does it take to move a meter?

The actual process of moving the meter shouldn’t take more than a few hours, depending on the difficulty of the operation in terms of where the meter is currently located and where it’s being moved to. However, from application to completion, the process could take several weeks, so it’s best to get it started as soon as you know the date you need the work completed by.

What if my meter is a smart meter?

It doesn’t matter whether your meter is a traditional meter or a smart meter; any type of meter can be moved. Although a smart meter presents the information about your usage and spend on a smart display and uses its network connection to send that information to your supplier, it still uses (more or less) traditional meters. The meters can be moved if you’re not happy with their current positioning.

If you’re just about to have a smart meter installed, the meters will be placed where your current meters are, but the installer should ask if you’re happy with them in their current position - this can be a good opportunity to have them placed elsewhere if you want.

How much will it cost to move my gas meter?

The cost to move a gas meter (or any type of meter) may be covered by your supplier depending on how far you’re moving it (i.e. within a metre or so of its original position), or they might charge a small fee. If you’re a priority customer (i.e. you’re a pensioner; you’re disabled; you have a long-term illness; or you’re otherwise on your supplier’s Priority Services Register), they should move it for free.

If you have to move the meter to a completely different location and an outside party has to complete the work, you can expect this to cost at least £400 and in some cases top £1,000, so you need to be sure that this is something you definitely need to do.

How else can I keep costs down?

You can always keep costs down by comparing energy on Uswitch. A new deal could, potentially, not only save you money on your general energy costs but also allow you to get a cheaper quote for having your gas or electricity meter moved. Enter your postcode below to get started.

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