Please be aware of potential hazards with your electricity meters. Metering installations are held to a high safety standard and are generally safe, however hazards do occur. Be on the lookout for damage, exposed wires, wildlife, or anything else that might cause you harm. If you see anything that’s potentially hazardous to you, please don’t touch it or attempt to fix it and contact the Veolia Energy team instead.
- What is an electricity meter?
Your electricity meter records your energy usage and is used to calculate your bill. There are 2 primary types of electricity meter, referred to as ‘Basic’ & ‘Smart’ meters. The key differences between these two types is that Basic meters are manually read - typically quarterly, and do not provide any detail around when you use your energy. Smart meters on the other hand allow for remote reading of the meter daily and provide more detailed information on when and how you use your energy - this can be as granular as every 5 minutes!
This guide is aimed at customers with a Basic meter who may have received an estimated bill and would like to submit a customer reading to update their invoice.
- Where to find your electricity meter
If you live in a house, your electricity meter will typically be found outside in a meter box attached to one of the walls. They may also be found inside, typically in the garage, laundry or under the stairs.
If you live in an apartment or other multi-dwelling building, your meters will most likely be together in one place, typically in the basement/carpark or in a cabinet on your floor. To identify which meter is yours, they are often labelled with the unit number; however you can check the meter number against your Veolia Energy bill.
How to read your electricity meter
On your meter there will be a display panel showing you your meter reading. There are 3 primary display types: Clock Dial, Cyclonic Dial, and Electronic (Digital).
Clock Dial Display Cyclonic Dial Display Electronic Display A Clock Dial display has several small clock faces which, together, represent a full meter reading. To conduct a reading, note the numbers on each clock face, from left to right. If a pointer is between 2 numbers, note the lower number. When the pointer is between 0 and 9, read 9.
A Cyclonic Dial display resembles a traditional car odometer. To conduct a reading, note down each number from left to right, including all leading zeroes. If the dial has two readings, e.g. L and H (‘low’ and ‘high’), note down both of them. These record your usage for different periods, including the Peak and Off-peak.
An Electronic (Digital) display generally resembles a digital watch type display. To conduct a reading, note down the usage for Peak and Off-peak, including all the leading zeroes. If your meter has a ‘Display’ button, press it multiple times to reveal different readings on the screen. Note them all down for a complete reading.
- Can I submit a meter read?
Your bills are calculated based on estimates of your energy usage for the reporting period. If you would like a revised bill based on your meter reading, please follow the instructions below and submit the reading to our team prior to the due date.
We will accept a customer reading from you if:- The read is not for an interval meter;
- The reading is within an acceptable range, e.g. is not less than the last actual reading or significantly different from historical consumption; and
- The reading is submitted in line with our requirements under the ‘How do I submit a meter read?’ section below.
- How do I submit a meter read?
To submit a meter reading please send a clear photo of each meter at your property to [email protected] before the due date. Please ensure both the meter reading and the meter identification number are clearly visible in the photo.