If your meter reading is too high and you believe your meter to be faulty, then you should notify your electricity supplier such as Swalec as soon as possible. It is rarely ever the case that sky-high meter readings are accurate, so rest assured your electricity supplier will look into it for you.
Possible reasons for a high meter reading
When utility companies send you a bill, they either estimate your energy use or they take a recent meter reading to calculate what you owe them. If you have received a bill that doesn’t seem quite right and your energy supplier has estimated your electricity usage, then it could simply be that your supplier has simply made a mistake when calculating your usage.
If however you have received a bill that doesn’t seem right based on a recent electricity meter reading, it could be that your supplier has made a mistake, by mixing the numbers on the electricity meter up. To see if this is the case, take your electricity bill to your meter and compare the figures on your bill to those on the meter. If there are discrepancies, then you have your answer, and it is highly likely that your supplier is in receipt of an inaccurate meter reading.
Another reason you may have received a bill that doesn’t add up is because your supplier has accidentally used the meter readings of another property to calculate what you owe them. This is more common than you would expect. To see if this is the case, go to your meter and write down its Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). This number begins with an ‘S’ and it is a 21-digit number. Now compare this number to the MPAN number on your bill. If the numbers are different, then this is likely to be the reason for your inaccurate bill.
Here is what an MPAN number looks like:
Of course, it could well be that you have a faulty electricity meter. Over time, meters can fail and this is especially true in the case of basements that are damp or with meters that are based on older technology. If you believe this to be the case, then you should contact your energy supplier immediately. It is likely that they will ask you to take a meter reading every day for 7 days to check your usage and see if your meter is faulty. If your supplier finds that your electricity meter is faulty, then they should replace your meter for free within two weeks.