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My gas supply is capped - Who's responsible for the meter?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
October 6, 2019
52 replies
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My local area had its gas supply upgraded by northern gas from old pipes to new and when they did this they ran new gas pipes up to every property and capped them. If you used gas they attached your meter and everything was uncapped and back to normal.
We do not use any gas in our property so our supply is capped outside our property to an empty white box.
we still have the meter we always had inside the property but its not connected to a supply or any appliances (ie cooker, heating) it just sits there doing nothing.
i spoke to someone at Ovo and they wanted £80 to remove it even though it’s not connected to any supply, so we left it in as the standing charge is about the same.
We are at the end of our contract with OVO now and we will save money if we change supplier.
My questions are....do I still have to pay for both gas and electric with the new supplier?
Who does the redundant meter belong to when we do change?

Best answer by Eva_OVO

Updated on 28/04/26 by Abby_OVO

Great question to ask about switching suppliers with a capped gas supply. Just for a bit of background info here’s a bit of a breakdown on who’s responsible for what in terms of your gas setup.

Can I switch with a capped supply?

You’re free to switch suppliers, even if your supply is capped. It’s worth bearing in mind that your new supplier will continue applying standing charges and take over responsibility for the maintenance of your meter. If you decide to get the meter removed after a switch your new supplier will be able to arrange this and the cost for this job may vary from supplier to supplier.

What is a 'capped meter'?

A capped meter refers to a gas supply that has been cut-off by inserting some sort of physical block into the ECV (Emergency Cutout Valve) or pipework leading to the meter. This doesn’t refer to a disconnection or dead supply. A capped supply can be uncapped, if safe to do so, by a gas safe engineer.

Can I remove a gas supply?

Even if your gas transporter has capped your supply, you’d still be listed as having an gas supply on the national database and as you’ve found are liable to continue paying a standing charge. In order to get the supply de-activated so you can stop paying this standing charge, you’ll need to contact our Support Team to schedule in a meter removal. As a non-essential maintenance job there is a charge for this however we charge these jobs at cost price and once removed you’ll no longer need to worry about the continued gas standing charges.

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Chris_OVO

Community Manager

Hey @Rob1962,

I’d like to circle back to a couple of articles I shared previously, have you had the chance to look at them?

If your meter has only been capped, it hasn't been fully disconnected and removed from the national database. In this case, you're still responsible for the outstanding £180 and any future standing charges.

To stop future charges, contact our Support Team to arrange for an engineer to visit your property and, if necessary, remove the meter. You should also provide the Support Team with your move-in date, if they don't already have it, so they can adjust any billing dates to cover only your period of residency.

Renewable energy jokes never get old.

M

mikk

Newcomer

Just moved in to a property, energy supplier is Ovo. Smart meter for electricity isn’t working so I sent them meter readings. There is a gas supply but I haven’t used any, the meter was de-commissioned before I moved in. They estimated both and billed me for both despite me telling them I haven’t used any gas. Now they’ve added a late payment charge. What can I do when they ignore my communications?

Blastoise186

Super User

Hi @mikk ,

Just to check… Is there still a Gas Meter physically present in the property, even if it’s disconnected? Please can you answer this for us as it’ll help us give you more accurate advice.

Thanks!

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

Nukecad

Super User

Also how long ago is “Just moved in”?

It's obviously benn long enough for at least one bill to be generated.

I said, Hey - Watts going on.

Ben_OVO

Community Manager

Morning @mikk and a warm welcome to the OVO Forum!

First thing to check - have you actually set up an account with us in your name, or is the account still in the name of ‘The Occupier’. If its an Occupier account then you’ll need to set up your account with us.

You’ll need to contact our Support Team to discuss the gas side of things. You’ll need to send them photos of the gas meter if it’s still there, or the space where it used to be if its been removed. Please note, if the gas meter is still in place you’ll still need to pay a standing charge for the gas supply. You can get the meter removed, however this does come at a cost (see the guide below).

Lastly, with the electricity smart meter, if it’s not communicating then our Support Team will be able to book an appointment for it to be replaced, free of charge. Below is a guide for diagnosing smart meter issues via your app and online account, and how to report these issues:

Please let us know how you get on with all this - we’re here to answer any more questions you may have.

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mikk

Newcomer

Hi @mikk ,

Just to check… Is there still a Gas Meter physically present in the property, even if it’s disconnected? Please can you answer this for us as it’ll help us give you more accurate advice.

Thanks!

Yes, de-commissioned while ago.

M

mikk

Newcomer

Also how long ago is “Just moved in”?

It's obviously benn long enough for at least one bill to be generated.

July.

Ben_OVO

Community Manager

@mikk is a reading visible on the gas meter screen at all? If so send a photo to the Support Team. If the meter isn’t clocking usage then we need to bill you accordingly, but the standing charge will still stand.

If the meter isn’t showing anything at all, and is blank, you’ll need to send a picture to the Support Team anyway. If you wanted to pay for the cost of removing the meter then they can book this in for you, and this would stop the standing charges being billed to you. They’ll also be able to book you in for the electricity meter to be fixed.

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mikk

Newcomer

Hi Ben, no the gas meter isn't showing anything, the supply has been capped off before I moved in.

Ben_OVO

Community Manager

Thanks @mikk, I’d recommend getting in contact with our Support Team via email at hello@ovoenergy.com.

Explain the situation to them, and that the gas supply is capped, however you’ve been charged for estimated usage, which needs to be charged as zero usage, and just standing charge only.

Send them a photo of the capped gas meter, along with any stickers or paperwork that may be by the meter displaying the date it was capped.

Let us know how you get on with this. You’d be within your rights to raise this as a complaint, due to the fact you’ve been charged incorrectly. Our complaints process can be found here.

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