Can Elec Meter Get Stuck or Break??

November2

Hi, was just about to phone BG about an updated and wrong bill when I thought I'd read the electricity meter again before phoning to get an exact number. Well it is the same as two days ago, and I've just found the piece of paper I wrote a meter reading down on a couple of weeks ago and that is the same. BG have updated my bill using a meter reading they took in May and that is identical too! A red light is flashing slowly below the number, is that normal? I think the meter reader may have broken it as he spent ages messing with it, when I asked him what he was doing, he just said he was having trouble taking a proper reading! Can a meter be stopped or broken? Any advice appreciated before I phone BG. Anyone come across this before?

SuiDreams

About three years ago my meter stopped, and had to be replaced. It took them a few months to sort out and in the mean time I got free electric, They said they's calculate af igure for amount used in the period, but never did. Give the supplier a ring and they should arrange for a new meter to be installed. Mind you if you have had a meter reader round I assume they should have notified someon that the meter needs to be replaced.

My meter must have had a problem for a while as when it was changed I found I was using a lot more electric every month (based on my actual readings).

Premier_2

I was going to say that it is certainly possible for a meter to stick

But then I saw you mentioned the red flashing light. - it flashes to indicate electricity is being consumed, btw, instead of the traditional spinning wheel

That would suggest you have a new digital meter rather than an older style analogue one. In this instance it's probably just broken if the reading hasn't changed.

Contact the supplier who should arrange a replacement to be fitted free of charge.

Unfortunately, you won't normally get the electricity for free just because the meter hasn't correctly recorded the consumption - the supplier will estimate consumption.

SuiDreams

Premier wrote: »

Unfortunately, you won't normally get the electricity for free just because the meter hasn't correctly recorded the consumption - the supplier will estimate consumption.

I think I was just lucky then, that they never sent me an estimated bill, I was on online billing and just submitted correct readings once it was sorted, and didn't get billed for anything else.

November2

Hi, thanks for your replies. I'll make sure I mention the light is flashing when I phone.

Cardew

Somebody(who is knowledgable about these things) posted on here a while back that whilst the display can be faulty, they can still interogate the meter and extract a reading, as it can still be recording properly.

How that squares with the customer not being able to confirm the reading, I do not know.