Imperial Meter

Provchap

I've just discovered that my energy supplier thinks I have an imperial meter and are therefore multiplying the number of units of gas I've used by 2.83. Articles on this site indicate that this is a known problem and that OFGEM and the energy companies were proactively resolving the matter. This obviously has not been the case. It's proving to be a nightmare trying to make contact with the many companies I've used over the last 15 years and also OFGEM. Does anyone know of any central body that would be able to resolve this issue and obtain refunds for me? Thanks

[Deleted User]

You have a dispute between yourself and your supplier.

You complain to your supplier to get this resolved.

Only if they can't/won't resolve it can you go to the ombudsman - and you have to prove that you have tried the supplier first.

OFGEM don't deal with customers.

I don't think you can try going back 15 years for this issue.  Why (and how) have you just discovered this now?

QrizB

Provchap said:

It's proving to be a nightmare trying to make contact with the many companies I've used over the last 15 years

As a general rule you can go back a max of six years (or five if you're in Scotland).

Mobtr

There is no central body that will do this for you. You firstly need to contact your current supplier to get your meter updated, it’s pretty straightforward. You can then try the one previous to that etc. Also, just because this company has the wrong info doesn’t necessarily mean previous ones have had. If they have, how has it taken you 15 years to realise?

pochase

Have you checked that all old suppliers used the imperial format?

We have seen in most cases that this started after a switch between suppliers, especially recently when people came from busted suppliers there was incorrect information handed over.

stewie_griffin

This may be a silly question but are you sure you don’t have an imperial meter. Could you post a photo but edit out the serial number. When was the last time the meter was changed?

Provchap

It says on the front of the meter that it measures meters cubed

DingerUK

Provchap said:

It says on the front of the meter that it measures meters cubed

It’s a metric meter then 👍 imperial would be ft cubed

https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/publication.html?task=file.download&id=5862

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gas-meter-readings-and-bill-calculation

wild666

Once you tell them they are using ft3 and not M3 they might want to change the meter for a smart meter. If it's electric then the only change is that the electric smart meters read in kWh's not M3 or ft3 and you get an IHD. If you don't want smart meters for any reason just decline them even if they are reading usage correctly they might use the end of life trick to try to get them changed.

[Deleted User]

wild666 said:

Once you tell them they are using ft3 and not M3 they might want to change the meter for a smart meter. If it's electric then the only change is that the electric smart meters read in kWh's not M3 or ft3 and you get an IHD. If you don't want smart meters for any reason just decline them even if they are reading usage correctly they might use the end of life trick to try to get them changed.

Smart gas meters read in m3.

Provchap

Deleted_User said:

You have a dispute between yourself and your supplier.

You complain to your supplier to get this resolved.

Only if they can't/won't resolve it can you go to the ombudsman - and you have to prove that you have tried the supplier first.

OFGEM don't deal with customers.

I don't think you can try going back 15 years for this issue.  Why (and how) have you just discovered this now?

There is a document on this site from 2016 saying that OFGEM are aware of this issue and that suppliers will be contacting customers to rectify the situation. If someone had contacted me I would have been able to go back to 2010!