Is over - ‘estimating’ my meter legal?

jimbog

With gas and electricity prices set to soar after the cap is raised in April, what’s stopping me giving vastly higher meter readings now to pay for future consumption at today’s prices?

[Deleted User]

It would be treated as fraud if there wasn’t a system in place to prevent this type of abuse. All meter readings are validated by an organisation known as a data collector. The data collector has access to your past meter reading history. Any extraordinary meter reading provided would be ignored by the supplier for billing purposes.

wild666

If you are asked for a meter reading, or just sending a reading at the start of the day then using a figure greater than the one on the meter would be acceptable if at the end of that day the reading was at the figure given or slightly more than the figure given in the reading. 

What wouldn't be acceptable is greatly increasing the reading, say if the price per kWh increased from the next day, so that you got the energy at a cheaper rate.

Reed_Richards

I was with an electricity supply company ("Symbio", now gone) that made a practice of greatly over-estimating my meter reading.  However they got away with it by over-estimating what the reading would be in a months time rather than what it was today.  

booshya

Reed_Richards said:

"Symbio", now gone

'nuff said  

Astria

jimbog said:

With gas and electricity prices set to soar after the cap is raised in April, what’s stopping me giving vastly higher meter readings now to pay for future consumption at today’s prices?

I've entered meter readings before which have been correct but ignored with the message "Hmmm, that meter reading seems a little high, can you please recheck it and re-enter?", and then a month later got an estimated bill that was higher than the reading I've given them