Meter Reading Disputes - What are they?

Switching suppliers can seem complicated so we’ve explained the full switching process on this great guide.

Once you’ve made the decision to switch, the next important thing to remember is to submit some opening meter readings when your new supplier asks. If that new supplier is OVO you can submit these on your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS). 

You may be wondering, what happens if you forget to submit the meter readings in time? 

As with your monthly summary, if we haven’t received an opening meter reading (either submitted manually or sent automatically by your smart meter) we’ll use an estimated reading. This estimated reading will be based on the history of your meter readings held by the energy industry and will be agreed with your previous supplier to use on your final statement with them.

If it’s been a while since you’ve submitted readings to a previous supplier, you might notice that the opening reading doesn’t line up to your actual meter readings, which will mean that the final statement from your previous supplier and the first monthly summary issued by OVO may be inaccurate. In order to get this sorted out we need to follow an industry regulated process known as a ‘Meter Reading Dispute’. 

Either supplier involved in the switch is able to get this process started. If you’ve switched to OVO we’d advise contacting the Support Team to check whether a ‘Meter Reading Dispute’ is possible.

The ‘Meter Reading Dispute’ Process

- We ask you to take two meter readings at least two weeks apart
- We use these to calculate what the meter reading should’ve been on the date you switched
- If there’s a big enough difference between the reading used and the reading calculated, we can officially raise this as a ‘Meter Reading Dispute’
- We contact your previous supplier with our calculated read
- Once they’ve agreed to this new reading, we can amend opening meter reading and reissue your opening statement. Be aware that your previous supplier may also re-issue their final statement with you.
- This whole process can take up to 12 weeks as we have to wait for the calculated reading to be received and agreed to by the other supplier.

During this process your regular monthly billing will be paused whilst we look to correct the opening statement. If you pay via Direct Debit these payments will continue, building up a credit balance in your account to cover the opening statement once it’s issued.

If you don’t yet have a Direct Debit in place, we’d recommend setting one up with our Support Team, to avoid a large balance to pay when your initial statement is re-issued.

It may sound complicated but we’ll handle all the details and make sure your account is opened to a reading that fairly reflects your usage.

Has anyone experienced the ‘Meter Reading Dispute’ process before?  Comment below with any advice for others or further questions you might have. We’re always happy to help here.