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1220charlee
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January 17, 2024
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Incorrect billing - is my old imperial gas meter being read incorrectly?

  • January 17, 2024
  • 21 replies
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I recently submitted a gas meter reading, only to get hit with a £650 bill. At first, it appeared to be because OVO had estimated the wrong gas meter reading when I moved into this house 6 weeks ago, but now I gave them the correct meter readings from move in day, and yet my balance is still way high. I did all my own calculations using the standard conversion methods, and my gas bill should be £206 but they’ve actually billed me £552 since 27 Nov. Crazy.

Thing is, I have a very old (90s) imperial meter that measures in cubic feet (not even x100 cubic feet!). It’s a relic haha! When I check my bill, the reading I gave them shows on there as 914.000. The reading I actually gave them was 0914. Can somebody who knows more about how they deal with old imperial meters confirm that this is a correct read as it should appear on the bill? Or have they somehow messed up my billing by thinking I’ve got a newer meter? I was due to have one installed but they couldn’t do it on the day.

I can’t think of any other reason why OVO would think that I - very frugal with energy, living in a fully double glazed, small four bed terraced house - would be using 6,920kWh of gas in 7 weeks. 😆😱😭 Help!

 

ETA:  My meter reading on move in day was 0839, and is now 0914. That’s 75 units used. If anyone fancies checking my maths, that works out to about 241kWh - NOT 6,920kWh.

Best answer by BPLightlog

Updated on 04/09/25 by Ben_OVO

The calculations below can be found on every gas statement we send you. Your statements can be downloaded via your online account or app by following this guide:

 

 

If you’ve got an old imperial gas meter then we’d recommend getting it swapped out for a smart meter which will send your reads to us automatically. The appointment will be free of charge, and it’s likely that your gas meter may be nearing the end of its certification (see below).

 

 

That meter has been around the block .. it does need updating. 
As it’s reading in cu ft then don’t forget there’s an additional multiplier (x 2.83) when doing the calculation. 
From your picture, 0914 (or 914) is a correct reading as you ignore the red digits. 
I can’t quite tell which starting reading is being used but here’s the calculation 

 

21 replies

Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
January 17, 2024

Hi @1220charlee ,

Please show us screenshots of what you’re seeing, and photos of the meter.

Thanks

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1220charleeAuthor
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January 17, 2024

Hi @1220charlee ,

Please show us screenshots of what you’re seeing, and photos of the meter.

Thanks

 

Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
January 17, 2024

Looks correct to me. However, I’ll ask @Firedog to swing by, and probably also @BPLightlog as they’re better than me at crunching figures from imperial gas meters.

With that being said, we would probably recommend that you get that meter replaced sooner rather than later, otherwise you may have more problems with its accuracy slowly getting worse.

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1220charleeAuthor
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January 17, 2024

Looks correct to me. However, I’ll ask @Firedog to swing by, and probably also @BPLightlog as they’re better than me at crunching figures from imperial gas meters.

With that being said, we would probably recommend that you get that meter replaced sooner rather than later, otherwise you may have more problems with its accuracy slowly getting worse.

Thank you! Unfortunately OVO told me they can’t replace it.

So, given that the readings have been entered correctly, any idea why the kWh might be so very, very wrong? OVO estimated my move in day reading, and it was WAY too low, so in effect I’m paying here for energy that was used by the previous tenant. I gave them exact readings from my move in day and they put them in the system this morning, but so far no change to the balance, despite the fact that it should more than halve my bill. 😬 I can’t fathom what could have gone wrong.

BPLightlog
Super User
BPLightlogSuper UserSolved
Super User
January 17, 2024

Updated on 04/09/25 by Ben_OVO

The calculations below can be found on every gas statement we send you. Your statements can be downloaded via your online account or app by following this guide:

 

 

If you’ve got an old imperial gas meter then we’d recommend getting it swapped out for a smart meter which will send your reads to us automatically. The appointment will be free of charge, and it’s likely that your gas meter may be nearing the end of its certification (see below).

 

 

That meter has been around the block .. it does need updating. 
As it’s reading in cu ft then don’t forget there’s an additional multiplier (x 2.83) when doing the calculation. 
From your picture, 0914 (or 914) is a correct reading as you ignore the red digits. 
I can’t quite tell which starting reading is being used but here’s the calculation 

 

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    1220charleeAuthor
    Rank 2
    January 17, 2024

    That meter has been around the block .. it does need updating. 
    As it’s reading in cu ft then don’t forget there’s an additional multiplier (x 2.83) when doing the calculation. 
    From your picture, 0914 (or 914) is a correct reading as you ignore the red digits. 
    I can’t quite tell which starting reading is being used but here’s the calculation 

    ​​​

     

    They didn’t have a starting reading because they incorrectly estimated it. I have given it to them now, but it’s not done anything to the balance of my account. My meter is so old that it doesn’t use x100 cubic feet, so the multiplier is actually 0.0283. Otherwise my bill would be thousands of pounds for seven weeks hehe.

     

     

     

    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    January 17, 2024

     

    They didn’t have a starting reading because they incorrectly estimated it. I have given it to them now, but it’s not done anything to the balance of my account. My meter is so old that it doesn’t use x100 cubic feet, so the multiplier is actually 0.0283. Otherwise my bill would be thousands of pounds for seven weeks hehe.

     

    I’m not sure why you think it doesn’t read in x100 cu ft .. the indicator says ft 3 by the last digit which is cubic feet. That would include the red dials and so the first white digit would be x100’s of cu ft

    I can’t see any difference from yours to a similar meter shown as an example 

     

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    1220charleeAuthor
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    January 17, 2024

     

    They didn’t have a starting reading because they incorrectly estimated it. I have given it to them now, but it’s not done anything to the balance of my account. My meter is so old that it doesn’t use x100 cubic feet, so the multiplier is actually 0.0283. Otherwise my bill would be thousands of pounds for seven weeks hehe.

     

    I’m not sure why you think it doesn’t read in x100 cu ft .. the indicator says ft 3 by the last digit which is cubic feet. That would include the red dials and so the first white digit would be x100’s of cu ft

    I can’t see any difference from yours to a similar meter shown as an example 

     

    Because if you used that number and multiplied it by 2.83 and then did the maths, they would’ve been billing me in the thousands of quid. Do you see what I’m getting at? The 75 units I’ve used over the 7 weeks would come in at £1799.14 + VAT. That is…not a normal gas bill unless you are a business or something.

      BPLightlog
      Super User
      BPLightlogSuper User
      Super User
      January 17, 2024

      ..,

      ETA:  My meter reading on move in day was 0839, and is now 0914. That’s 75 units used. If anyone fancies checking my maths, that works out to about 241kWh - NOT 6,920kWh.

      75 units would give you about 2400 kWh 

      which at say 7.4 p per kWh would mean about £177

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      1220charleeAuthor
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      January 17, 2024

      ..,

      ETA:  My meter reading on move in day was 0839, and is now 0914. That’s 75 units used. If anyone fancies checking my maths, that works out to about 241kWh - NOT 6,920kWh.

      75 units would give you about 2400 kWh 

      which at say 7.4 p per kWh would mean about £177

      Oh god I’m an idiot. I had the decimal in the wrong place when I was doing the cost bit. Sorry.

      But yes, so definitely not £500+ quid! Yet they seem to think that’s what I’ve spent. 

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        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement

        OVO Energy Ltd, Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ, (Company no. 06890795) registered in England and Wales.

        OVO (S) Gas Limited is registered in England and Wales (Company No. 02716495) at Floor 5, Crescent, Temple Back, Redcliffe, BS1 6EZ.

        OVO (S) Gas Limited is part of OVO Group Ltd