Three million hours spent reading meters

Energy UKBritons are spending an unbelievable three million hours each year reading their gas and electricity meters, new research carried out on behalf of Energy UK has shown.

This is equivalent to a staggering 125,000 days or 342 years leaning into cupboards, fumbling for torches or even climbing ladders struggling to access their meters. The research carried out by Populus has been published in advance of the Government’s latest announcement on smart metering.

The research found that on average, people spend seven minutes to find their meter, read it, and then submit the reading. People’s anecdotes about reading their meters included:
  • Someone who has to find and then climb a ladder to get to his gas meter located near his ceiling
  • A lady who needs a second person to note down the reading while she calls it out, because the meter is wedged between two cupboards under her sink
  • A London couple who spent weeks trying to locate their gas meter in their new home, only to uncover it in a small cupboard under their stairs hidden behind some paint tins.
All of these wasted hours could be reclaimed by Britain’s gas and electricity customers once they have a smart meter.

Smart meters bring information about our energy use out of our cupboards and into the 21st century. These new meters will send meter readings automatically to the energy company and show you at the same time exactly how much gas or electricity you’re using

The research also shows that 40 per cent of us don’t always send in a meter reading when asked to by our energy company, even though we know this means we're more likely to receive an estimated bill.

Government and energy industry plans to put smart meters in every home in Britain this decade mean the end of estimated billing and waiting in for the meter reader.

Christine McGourty, Director of Energy UK, said:

“Reading your meter is a chore, so much so that according to our research, roughly 1 in 10 of us don’t bother at all. Having seen the shocking amount of time we spend doing so, it’s hardly surprising!

"But once the massive smart metering project gets underway, customers with smart meters will be billed accurately all the time. They’ll also be able to see for the first time exactly how much energy they’re using around the home and it’ll help them make sure they’re not wasting it.”

Source: Energy UK