Changing suppliers, meter reading

stu89

Something occurred to me after I switched gas supplier recently. How do they know you gave them the correct information for the final meter reading? I'm assuming that the old and new supplier would somehow check that the same readings have been given to both companies to prevent blatant fraud. But if the new supplier is cheaper than the old, isn't there a big motivation to give a lower reading? (by the way, I've already switched, am more than happy with my new tariff, and was never desperate enough to try this in the first place. But I can see how it would be tempting for someone in a dire financial situation and I'm curious as to how the suppliers stop this)

[Deleted User]

Often I meet outgoing customers who are moving out in a week or so and have already submitted their outgoing readings, in effect they are trying to "nick a bit ". The incomers do exactly the same thing and submit a start reading a few weeks after moving in. This reading is nowhere near the fiddled reading of the outgoer and the fiddled reading of the incomer is also a fortnights use away also so maybe a full months energy use will be disputed by the supplier. No wonder suppliers have scant regard or trust for these opening /ending readings and may make an estimate themselves which is more likely to be nearer the truth.The time to take a meter reading is 10 seconds before shutting the front door for the last time not a fortnight earlier. Another good reason for having smart meters which will help stop all this attempted petty theft which the UK public habitually avail themselves of.

stu89

That's slightly different though, and must be easy to spot when there's a difference between the previous owner's final and new owner's first reading. I was referring to the practice of submitting a low reading just before someone switches suppliers so that the readings match, but the switcher gets charged less kWh or whatever on their old (more expensive) tariff and more on their new (cheaper) tariff. I can't see how they can stop this unless they send someone round to read it every time people switch which they don't in my experience. To boot, when someone switches their supplier they are more likely to have axe to grind and more motivated to rip off the provider they just left.

footyguy

stu89 wrote: »

Something occurred to me after I switched gas supplier recently. How do they know you gave them the correct information for the final meter reading? I'm assuming that the old and new supplier would somehow check that the same readings have been given to both companies to prevent blatant fraud. But if the new supplier is cheaper than the old, isn't there a big motivation to give a lower reading? (by the way, I've already switched, am more than happy with my new tariff, and was never desperate enough to try this in the first place. But I can see how it would be tempting for someone in a dire financial situation and I'm curious as to how the suppliers stop this)

Essentially they won't.

You give the meter reading to the new supplier, who in turn passes it to the old supplier. So your start reading with the new supplier matches the end reading with the old supplier

Even what you think may be a big difference won't actually save/cost you much so don't bother trying to cheat.

The meter reading also has to be agreed by a third party meter reading agency, so if you do go too wild, it may ignore the reading you supply and use the one they think is correct, and then you get even more issues trying to sort the mess out.

System

When you switch, you provide the new supplier with meter readings. These readings are passed to an industry partner for review against historical data for your property. The industry reviewer has the right to adjust the readings (within limits). These readings (estimated) are then passed to the new and old suppliers as your opening and closing readings.