Electricity, gas and water metering companies will read your meter and send the information to your energy provider.
Your electricity or gas bill will tell you when your next meter reading is due. Ensure your meter can be easily accessed or let your provider know how to locate and access your meter.
Once the meter has been read, your provider must show any adjustments on future bills.
Providers need to follow certain rules around how much you are refunded if you have been overcharged.
There are also rules around how much you have to pay if you have been undercharged.
If you think your meter reading is incorrect and your bill is high, you can ask for a special meter read. Your provider is allowed to charge a fee for this service.
For more information, see the Energy Made Easy website.
Estimated bills
In some instances, you may get a bill that says you have an ‘Estimated Reading’ or says ‘E’ next to the usage charge. This could happen when:
- the meter reader was unable to access your meter — a gate was locked or there was a concern with a dog in the yard
- you receive a revised bill after providing their own meter reading – this can happen if you had previously received estimated readings
- the meter reader does not send data to the retailer in time for the next billing cycle.
The estimated reading can be based on:
- past usage, or
- usage of a similar household in your area.
According to the National Energy Retail Rules (NERR), providers are allowed to base energy bills on estimations as long as they do an actual read once a year.
You can contact your provider to submit your own meter reading or to find out why they were unable to access your meter. If you submit your own reading, you will receive a revised bill based on the information supplied.