Meter Readings and Estimated Energy Bills: How to Fix an Estimate and the 12-Month Back-Billing Rule

An estimated energy bill is the supplier's guess at what you used. It can be too high, so you overpay, or too low, so a large catch-up bill arrives later. The fix is a meter reading: take one, photograph it, and send it to your supplier. If a supplier has failed to bill you correctly, it generally cannot charge you for energy used more than 12 months before the bill.

How to read your meters

• Digital electricity meter. Note the numbers before any decimal point. An Economy 7 meter shows two readings, day and night: send both.
• Dial meter. Read each dial left to right, taking the lower number when a pointer is between two.
• Gas meter. Note the numbers before the decimal point or the red digits.
• Smart meter. It should send readings itself. If your bills are still estimated, the in-home display or the meter's screen shows the reading to send.

Photograph each reading with the date showing. Send it through the supplier's app or website.

When to send a reading

• Whenever a bill says estimated.
• When you move in and when you move out.
• When you switch supplier or tariff.
• Before a price change, if your supplier asks for one.

The 12-month back-billing rule

If your supplier has not billed you correctly, for example because it relied on estimates or made a mistake, it generally cannot charge you for energy you used more than 12 months before the correct bill. The rule does not apply if you obstructed readings or did not pay a correct bill. If a catch-up bill covers more than 12 months, ask the supplier to apply it.

If a bill still looks wrong

1. Compare the readings on the bill with your photos.
2. Ask the supplier to correct it, in writing, and keep the reference.
3. If it is not resolved within eight weeks, you can take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman, free of charge.

How Wisemium helps

Upload your energy bill to Wisemium and it reads the supplier, tariff, price and fixed term end date for you to confirm, then keeps them on record. The end date is shown as needing attention as it comes up, and when there is something worth acting on Wisemium takes you through its energy partner journey. It does not list energy tariffs itself.