My gas meter doesn't exist, what now?

dgtazzman

I've hit a little stumbling block with my gas meter and was hoping somebody else could point me in the right direction to get this sorted.

New build house, moved in last May, but mains gas/meter wasn't fitted till the end of December as somebody installed the mains piping in the wrong place and it took that long to get it moved. The system was supplied using gas bottles till then, provided by the builder.

The builder uses British Gas and they notified them of the meter etc. and that the account should be transferred to me. They said I would get a letter. Hadn't received one by the start of this month, so I took things into my own hands and opened an account with British Gas for my address.

I received a letter yesterday informing me the last thing they need is my MPRN. As there is no bill yet, I phoned Transco to find out what the MPRN is. Tranco tells me no MPRN has been set up for my meter yet and that I should get a supplier to set up account for me, which would then see me issued with a MPRN. I phoned British Gas and they won't set up an account without a MPRN.

I feel this is turning into a chicken/egg story.

I have now tried transferring with another supplier in the hope they do know what the proper process is, but if they can't help me, can somebody tell me what I can do to get a MPRN issued for my meter?

I have been using gas for nearly 2 months now and as far as I can tell, my meter isn't in anybody's system, so I haven't a clue who I should be paying for this 2 months of usage :rotfl:

C_Mababejive

Who fitted the meter?

Leblanc_2

I have gone through exactly the same problem. It has taken me 4 months to eventually achieve a switch from B.G!
The first energy company could not handle it because the meter was not registered with the National Database. I tried a switch to a second company and had a whole host of problems.
I think that it is all sorted now. Well I hope it is!
I have lost count of the number of phone calls and e-mails it took to try and sort things out.
You can personally get in touch with the National Database, but you will probably be batted back and forth as I was.
You have to record the serial number on your meter, best to phograph it as they often don't believe you. This is not the MPNR. On the meter should also be the name of the owner/installer of the meter/supply. Get in touch with them and provide all your details including the serial number. Ask them to sort it out and get it on the National Database. Have them contact you by phone or e-mail on dates prescribed by you. You really have to chase them.
The energy suppliers will simply say you are not on the database and that it is with the appropriate team, but they will just sit on it and it will drag on.
As I said it took me 4 months of constant chasing and pushing, and even now I wont be confident until I receive my first bills from the new supplier.
Keep your meter reference number safe and your MPNR when you get it, as you may need to refer to them fairly frequently throughout this exercise.
The last company I switched to (EON) managed to wrongly take over a neighbour's meter in the process, despite the details allegedly being correct on the National Database. That too had to be sorted out.
I was left wondering how this country manages to function, because the whole episode was one almighty ....up!

dgtazzman

Sounds like fun. I've now tried Scottish Power, as they didn't require the MPRN in their sign up process, so we'll see what happens. Transco knows the meter is there, it's in their system, it just hasn't been issued with an MPRN yet, as no account is yet associated with it.

Probably just a question of finding one person at a supplier than knows which button to press to sort it, if not, I have the luxury of being able to tell the builder to sort it, as it's their c*ck up in the first place ^^