Do manual meter readings override smart meter?

myelomarace

As per Martin's advice, I took pictures of my meters on 30 September 2022 and sent them into my supplier. I'm on a smart meter but did it anyway. The readings esp for electricity turned out to be significantly lower than the smart meter readings showing on my bill. I'm not sure why this is. Do the manual readings with photos override the smart meter readings? 

pochase

Were the readings estimated or real? Your photo prove should override the reading they have, but might take a bit of work.

What is significantly lower?

victor2

myelomarace said:

As per Martin's advice, I took pictures of my meters on 30 September 2022 and sent them into my supplier. I'm on a smart meter but did it anyway. The readings esp for electricity turned out to be significantly lower than the smart meter readings showing on my bill. I'm not sure why this is. Do the manual readings with photos override the smart meter readings? 

Do the readings used on your bill actually say Smart or Estimated? Even though I have a smart electric meter, my supplier only takes readings once a month. If they need a reading on a different day, such as a tariff change, they estimate. However, manually entered customer readings should show instead of an estimate.
If the rate went up on 30 September and the supplier used a higher than actual reading, it should have been in your favour financially anyway. 

myelomarace

Sorry i mistyped, the manual photo readings were higher. So my point is that I've overpaid as the rate subsequently went up. 
So @pochase you think I could argue it? 

[Deleted User]

myelomarace said:

Sorry i mistyped, the manual photo readings were higher. So my point is that I've overpaid as the rate subsequently went up. 
So @pochase you think I could argue it? 

You can challenge anything. Before you do, you need to calculate your actual loss. If the reading was out by 100 units, you haven’t been charged for an error of 100 units. The actual cost is 100 ( new unit price - old unit price).

theoretica

Do the readings now match?

pochase

As @[Deleted User] says, what loss are we talking about?

If for example the electricity was 100KWh higher, your loss would be in the region of £7 (35p new rate - 28p old rate).

Some here will have a fight for pound or less as a matter of principle, others might accept a £10 loss or more.

_Sam_

myelomarace said:

Sorry i mistyped, the manual photo readings were higher. So my point is that I've overpaid as the rate subsequently went up. 

Did you take the photo of the meter itself, or IHD (in home display)? 

If the former, I would expect the numbers showing on the photo to be accurate (unless the meter is faulty). If they charged you according to the photo reading, this would mean they charged the correct amount.