Smart Meter Not Sending Readings: Checks and Fixes

How to tell whether readings are being sent

Start with your latest electricity bill or online account. Look at the meter-reading section rather than the Direct Debit amount. A reading labelled “estimated”, “estimate” or “E” suggests the supplier did not use an actual reading for that bill. Compare the meter serial number on the bill with the number printed on the fixed electricity meter as a separate check that the bill relates to the right meter.

Do not use the portable in-home display as the only test. The display is a separate device that shows information received from the meter. It can lose its connection, show old tariff prices or stop working while the fixed meter continues to record consumption and send readings. Equally, a working display does not prove that the supplier has received the readings used on your bill.

Read the fixed meter itself. It is normally attached to a wall, board or meter box and the electricity register is shown in kWh. Ignore digits after the decimal point and any leading zeroes when submitting a reading. Keep a dated photograph if it is safe to do so; it gives you a clear record if a later bill is disputed.

What to do when a smart meter stops sending readings

Submit the current reading through your supplier’s app, website or telephone service, then check that it appears in your account. Citizens Advice recommends sending a manual reading once a month while automatic readings are unavailable. This reduces the chance that several low estimates build into a large catch-up bill, although the supplier may still need time to validate a reading.

Contact your electricity supplier and say that the meter is not operating in smart mode. Give the meter serial number, the current reading, the date you first noticed estimated bills and details of any error message. Ask whether the supplier is receiving data, whether smart mode is enabled and whether it can diagnose the communications hub or meter remotely.

Do not open the meter, remove seals or attempt an electrical repair. If the fixed meter screen is blank or displays a message such as “error”, “call help” or “battery”, ask the supplier to inspect or repair it. A metering problem is different from a local power cut; if your whole property loses supply, check whether neighbours are affected and use the electricity-network emergency service where appropriate.

• Check the bill for an estimated marker and confirm the meter serial number.
• Photograph and submit a reading from the fixed meter, not just the in-home display.
• Ask the supplier to confirm whether the meter is in smart mode and what fault it can see.
• Keep dates, reference numbers, readings and copies of bills until the issue is resolved.

Common reasons automatic readings stop

A supplier switch or move can temporarily interrupt access to readings while the new account is set up. Some first-generation, or SMETS1, meters have also lost smart functions after a switch. Ofgem says these meters are being connected to the national Data Communications Company network through remote upgrades; until compatibility is restored, the meter should still record use and can be read manually.

The meter may not be connecting to the Wide Area Network used to send data. Buildings, location and communications coverage can affect that connection. The problem can also be a disabled smart-mode setting, a fault in the meter or communications hub, or an account-data mismatch. Your supplier, rather than the householder, must investigate the metering equipment and communications status.

A failed in-home display has its own local checks. Move it closer to the electricity meter or communications hub, keep it powered and follow the manufacturer or supplier restart instructions. Avoid factory-resetting it unless the supplier tells you to, because it may need pairing again. Report the display separately if the supplier confirms that meter readings are arriving normally.

Supplier duties and possible compensation

In Great Britain, energy suppliers must take all reasonable steps to make installed smart meters operate in smart mode. Citizens Advice says that, when you report a non-working smart meter, the supplier must within five working days check whether it is working, try to identify the cause if it is not, and offer to provide its findings in writing.

Citizens Advice also states that £40 compensation is due for each of those specified steps the supplier fails to complete within five working days, and that the payment should be made within ten working days. These time limits apply to the defined supplier checks, not a promise that every technical or network problem will be fully repaired in five days. Keep evidence of when you first reported the fault.

If the supplier does not resolve the complaint, follow its formal complaints process. Ofgem does not decide individual consumer complaints. Citizens Advice can give consumer help, and a complaint can normally go to the Energy Ombudsman after the supplier issues a deadlock letter or after eight weeks have passed without resolution.

Check bills while the meter is offline

Compare every new bill with the manual reading you supplied. Work out consumption by subtracting the earlier reading from the later reading, then multiply the kWh used by your unit rate. Add the daily standing charge for the billing period and any applicable tax if it is not already included in the quoted rates. Two-rate tariffs need a separate calculation for each register.

For example, a reading rising from 12,450 kWh to 12,610 kWh means 160 kWh was used. At an illustrative unit rate of 25p per kWh, the energy charge is £40. If the standing charge is 50p a day for 30 days, that adds £15, making £55 before any tax or account adjustments. Use the rates and tax treatment printed on your own tariff rather than these example figures.

If earlier estimates were too low, an actual reading can produce a catch-up charge. If they were too high, your account may move into credit. Ask the supplier for a corrected itemised bill and a manageable payment plan if necessary. Do not cancel payments or withhold an undisputed balance without first agreeing how the account will be handled.

Extra help and urgent prepayment problems

Tell your supplier immediately if a smart prepayment meter will not accept a top-up online, by app, telephone or through the in-home display. Explain if you have no credit, cannot access emergency credit or someone in the home is at particular risk without electricity. This is more urgent than an ordinary estimated-bill problem.

If age, disability, a health condition or another vulnerability makes it difficult to read the meter, ask to join the Priority Services Register. Support can include help with meter readings and accessible communications. Ask the supplier what it can provide for your circumstances rather than struggling with an unsafe or inaccessible meter location.

Does this advice apply in Northern Ireland?

The smart-meter network, Ofgem duties and compensation process described above apply in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate electricity market and is preparing for its own smart-electricity-meter rollout from 2028, so Great Britain’s DCC process should not be assumed to apply there.

Northern Ireland customers should contact their electricity supplier or NIE Networks about current meter-reading arrangements and use the Consumer Council for independent help. Continue submitting readings using the route shown by the supplier or network while the local rollout develops.