Meter Reading Disputes - What are they?

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

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

if opening readings aren’t received (either submitted manually or automatically by your smart meter) estimated readings will be used. The estimated readings will be based on your read history held by the energy industry, and will be agreed with your previous supplier for your final statement.

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

It’s worth noting that sometimes, even if you provide opening / closing readings when you switch, these can sometimes become skewed. This is because the opening readings, once provided, have to be sent from the supplier to the wider Industry to be validated. This process requires a lot of administration and, sometimes, can result in out of line meter readings being sent back to the supplier from the Industry.

Either supplier involved in the switch is able to raise the Read Dispute. If you’ve switched to OVO we’d advise contacting the Support Team to check whether a Read Dispute is possible.

The Read 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 a Read Dispute.
• We contact your previous supplier with our calculated read.
• Once they’ve agreed to this new reading, we can amend the opening meter reading and reissue your opening statement. Your previous supplier may also re-issue their final statement with you.
• Read Disputes should be resolved within 12 weeks (for both gas and electric) from the date the dispute was raised.

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.