how do i take a reading from a 'dial' meter?

piratefairy

Hi all.
I am having some problems withmy elec supplier. After a bit of a confusion earlier in the year where some of the flats in my building were not tying up with the meters, that seems to be sorted now.

As I was going through a complaints procedure at the time, I wasn't sent a bill until the complaint was resolved, which has now been received and paid (bill for the earlier quarter).

I yesterday received my bill for the next quarter, all fine, but the meter readings have been estimated, and this is where I need a little help.
I have two meters for the property now, one is an electric display, and whilst it has been estimated, it actually is showing the same reading as the reading taken in JUly (when the meter reader last came and took the reading), this is the "off-peak" meter, and the only thing which would be running on that is the heating, which was disconnected (as they were storage heaters and not suitable for me), in March, so that has not been used. I will therefore call up this morning to explain this, as I needn't be paying for the estimated usage here when it is not being used at all.
But that made me wonder if there had been an overestimation on the second (main) meter also.

The other, "main" meter, is a dial meter. I have tried to research how to take a reading, but the only information I can see shows meters with more than one dial - this seems to have just one.
I have taken a photo of it this morning, as I can't see any obvious pointers on it and don't understand how to take a reading from it.

Can anyone help? I am just about to call npower and see if they can explain it, and if not, can I post a link to a picture of the dial so someone could show me, I've asked around and everyone I knwo has elec. display meters.
Thanks in advance.

C_Mababejive

I think that rather than trying to explain it, if you post a pic of said dials we can read it and agree it and then you can see how we came to that reading...

piratefairy

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx113/dinoprincesschar/DSC05098.jpg

brewerdave

Thats some sort of timer - not a meter

macman

No wonder you're confused if you're trying to take a meter reading off that...
If there isn't another meter, then you probably have a dual rate meter where you press a button to scroll through the different readings for each rate.
Suggest you post a pic of your other meter and more advice can be given.

piratefairy

Thank you, that's exactly what i have told npower, but they seem adamant this is the main meter - I think it is the timer, from the economy7 meter, which is located next to it and hasn't advanced sicne the heaters were removed earlier in the year.
The serial number on this timer is the one they have provided on the bill as the main meter, hence my confusion.

Here is the other meter. (off-peaK) http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx113/dinoprincesschar/DSC05097.jpg

piratefairy

A little more background - this isn't the first time i have tried to resolve with Npower that there only seems to be one meter. In the past I have submitted a reading for the elec one, thinking it was the only meter (before disconnecting the heating) and was contacted by them and told that there should be two readings. I explained that I didn't understand as thereonly seemed to be a timer and one meter, and they said they'd send someone out.
Having sent out an engineer, they accessed the meter room where these two devices are, along with the cut-off switch, and confirmed that their meter details for the two meters were correct. Two meter readings were taken at that point, but I don't understand how.
The electric display meter hasn't changed, and the other just doesn't seem to be a meter. Two serial numbers were given to me, which match up to these two devices.

I'm utterly confused. I called and Npower opened a complaint for me, but all I want is to pay off the entire balance, so that I can switch supplier to a different company and request a callout from them to ensure the details are accurate.

macman

That's a single rate meter. Are you sure that that meter is no longer connected to your CU or service head? Trace the cables.
Could it not just be that your meter has broken and isn't recording any usage?

piratefairy

Well, I queried that with them too, but they seem sure that the elec-display is just the off-peak. They also have written stating there are two meters to the property, and the serial numbers of the two, which they tell me have been checked and confirmed by the Npower engineer. They will not accept when I call up and tell them there is only one meter, and tell me that if I dont' supply both readings, they can only estimate the bill.
There are no obvious cables which I can trace, the cables from all meters in the communal meter cupbd for the building go into grey trunking, and live in a flat three floors up, I wouldn't know how to trace it that far, could you advise?

piratefairy

sorry,b ut what is a CU? Service-head?

macman

Consumer Unit (fusebox). No you won't be able to trace it if it's remote from the meter.