Do you know the age of your meters?

Metering is owned by the utility companies, even where installed within your home. 

The Green Deal talk is of a move to Smart Metering. However the current reality is that there are many different models of all ages installed within homes across the UK. Our anecdotal evidence suggests that much of this metering is obsolete or aged (older than 15 years). Obsolete equipment includes rotary analogue electricity meters and older pre-1993 gas meters. In addition, current accepted utility practice is to refurbish post-1993 gas meters to extend their installation life to possibly 30 years. So even when your installation is changed, for example to move your gas meter outside your home, you may still end up with an older refurbished meter installed within the new gas enclosure.

The utility companies are aware of this issue and dependent upon provider are gradually installing more modern (and in the case of gas; metric) metering. There is a standing agreement between utilities and OfGEM that meter changes are discretionary based upon priorities. So if as a consumer you wish for a more modern system, you are reliant upon the agreement of your utility provider. And usually there is a small charge added to your bill to upgrade. 

Alternatively you can install secondary metering. This later option is frequently the case for water where there is no meter installed.

There are benefits to upgrading your metering. Newer meters are easier to read and can be read automatically in real-time using energy efficiency systems that are becoming available. Old analogue electricity meters can also lose their calibration with age.

It is worth considering an upgrade if you have older meters. Most utilities will accept 'Customer Requested Changes' and the charges are usually less than £100. If you are lucky they may make the change as part of their metering programme at no charge.

So don't despair as there are simple steps that you can take at a reasonable cost to improve your ability to meter and monitor your consumption.

What is the age of your meters and do you have any stories of attempting to upgrade your meters?