A guide to crossed meters: what they are and how we fix them
From dodgy labels to backend mix-ups, here's everything you need to know about crossed meters: how they happen, how to spot them and how we'll make sure you're not paying more than you should
Every energy supply point in the UK has a unique digital fingerprint on the national database: an MPAN for electricity and an MPRN for gas. Most of the time, the physical meter in your home matches its digital fingerprint perfectly.
Occasionally, however, the lines get crossed and a meter serial number gets attached to the wrong profile, which could mean the wrong account gets billed for usage.
This is what the industry calls a “crossed meter”. The problem usually crops up in blocks of flats where meters are clustered together, or in brand-new housing developments.
If your meter is crossed, rest easy: we'll sort it out and you won't end up paying the wrong amount.
The wrong label: The national database is perfectly correct and your account is linked to the right meter. However, you've accidentally been reading the wrong box! Because you've been sending us your neighbour's readings, we've been using their numbers to calculate your bill. This is a classic headache in communal meter cupboards — imagine someone’s scribbled “Flat 4” above a meter in Sharpie, but that’s actually the meter for Flat 5. You, innocent Flat 4 dweller, have no way of knowing the label is a lie, so you send us the wrong numbers.
The backend mix-up: You’re reading the correct meter, which is recording your usage. So far, so good. However, the national database is wrong. It’s linked a completely different meter serial number to your address. This means the energy industry thinks your home is being powered by a different box entirely. This often happens on new-build estates when developers first register the plots, but it can also happen if a previous supplier swapped out a meter without updating the industry records, or if wiring gets jumbled up during major property renovations.
The smart meter switcheroo: Even if your meter is perfectly labelled, smart meters rely on a communications hub (a wireless bridge) to send us automatic readings. If the national database connects us to the wrong hub, we might end up receiving your neighbour's smart readings instead of yours.
How we get things uncrossed
To help our specialists get to the root of the problem, we’ll need a few details from you:
Your full address, including postcode.
Your Meter Serial Number (MSN). This is normally a 9 to 12-digit number stamped on the front of the meter itself, usually near a barcode.
A clear photo of the meter in its current location. This helps our experts spot obvious problems and check that all is well.
All a bit confusing?
We're here to help
Putting your meters to the test
If your meter lives in a communal cupboard, you might be able to play detective and figure out exactly which one belongs to your home. You can do this through what we call a “burns test”. We won't bore you with the details here, but if you need to do one, we’ll be in touch walking you through the whole process.
Don't worry if you end up being unable to do this yourself. We'd just send an engineer out for a free "trace and label" visit. Just keep in mind that if you couldn't do the test because the meters are locked away, our engineer will still need access, so you might need to ask your landlord to be there to let them in.
What happens next?
Don’t panic: We'll sort this out from here. If your meters are crossed, we will make sure you don't pay a penny more than you should.
A quick heads-up: While we will always correct your account balance, identifying a crossed meter isn't a guarantee that your bills will go down. It all depends on whether you were accidentally paying for a household that used more or less energy than you!
The timeline: Fully untangling a crossed meter usually takes about 6 to 12 weeks.
Smart meter quirks: It can sometimes take a little longer for smart meters — we might need you to provide manual readings while we rewire the digital connection.
Behind the scenes: This takes a bit of time because we usually have to coordinate with the national database managers and, occasionally, other energy suppliers to rewrite the records.
We’re on it: We'll handle all the admin, correct your account balance if necessary, and keep you in the loop every step of the way.