If you're a quarterly billed customer, we ask for a meter reading at least once a quarter. This is so we can send you an actual bill rather than an estimated one.

When we need a reading, we may email, text or phone you.

If you're on EnergySmart, we ask for a meter reading every month.

Submit your meter reading online

For safety reasons and as required by law, we will still send an authorised meter reader to inspect your meter from time to time.

You can give us your latest meter reading:

• online
• using the British Gas iPhone app
• over the phone - in some cases our automated service will call and ask you to enter your meter reading
• by SMS (text)

Online:

If you have an online account:

1. Log in to your online account
2. go to submit meter readings and select the account(s) you wish to give a meter reading for.
3. enter your reading.

Don't have an online account? You can still submit your meter reading online. Just enter your customer number(s) for your gas/electricity account(s) and your name, email address and phone number.

Alternatively, you can register for an online account now.

Using the British Gas iPhone app:

Download the British Gas iPhone app and follow the on-screen instructions.

Over the phone:

You can tell us your meter reading by using our 24 hour automated service on 0800 107 0224.*

By SMS (text):

You can submit your meter reading by text by replying to the text message we send you (we'll do this if you have already registered). If you haven't registered you can do so by calling us on 0800 048 0202* When we send you a text message just put the relevant letter in front of the meter reading you're sending us:

• G for gas
• E for electricity

Just joined British Gas? Submit your opening reading

Moving home? Submit your final meter read online

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

We use your meter reading to:

• work out your energy usage
• make sure your bills are accurate
• keep your Direct Debits accurate, if you pay by Direct Debit

Submit your meter reading online.

If we don't have an actual meter reading, we will estimate your bill. This estimate will be based on:

• your past usage
• previous meter readings
• the time of year

If you provide us with an accurate meter reading we can amend your estimated bill.

Please note: we can only amend your bill up to 14 days after your estimated bill was issued.

If you're not sure how to read your meter find out more.

Submit your reading now.

The customers likely to receive their smart meters first are those who have dual fuel contracts with at least one meter due for replacement.

We will try to meet other customers' requests for smart meters, though there are some circumstances when we can't install them yet - for example, in some high rise flats or in areas with poor signal coverage. We're working on the best technology for each situation so that we should soon be able to install them everywhere.

Yes. You can download the relevant welcome booklet depending on whether you had your smart meter installed in 2009 or before, or 2010.

Download the 2009 version »

Download the 2011 version »

Yes. We have developed and continue to develop high standards of security for smart meters, taking on board lessons learnt from other programmes around the world. Every component of our smart meters has strong security features to protect information, including access controls, tamper proofing and encryption to protect data in transit.

Our systems are regularly assessed by independent third parties to ensure our security is robust. We will continue to work with regulators, consumer groups, and other energy suppliers to ensure that industry system are well protected.

The lights give you an instant indication of how much electricity you are using at any one time. The different levels are:

• Green - your current electricity consumption is less than 1kW (4.35 Amps)
• Amber - your current electricity consumption is between 1kW (4.35 Amps) and 4kW (17.39 Amps)
• Red - your current electricity consumption is greater than 4kW per hour (17.39 Amps)

If the blue light is on, you have a message. Simply pull down the clear flap and press the button with an envelope symbol to read it.

If you have a Pay As You Go meter, you pay for your gas or electricity before you use it.

You top up credit onto a card or key and transfer this to your meter by inserting the card or key.

With Pay As You Go Energy™, you have complete control over your spending. And at British Gas our Pay As You Go customers pay the same prices as those who receive bills*.

Download our electricity meter guide.

Download our gas meter guide.

* Based on average of all Pay As You Go Energy™ customers on standard prices paying by quarterly cash or cheque customers, across all UK regions.

You can get credit:

• at your local PayPoint store
• at any Post Office
• by topping up from your computer using Home Energy Top Up

If it is your first time topping up:

1. first, if you have run out of credit turn off all your gas appliances
2. before you top up your key/card you need to put your key/card into the meter for at least 1 minute
3. take your key/card to your PayPoint store and buy some credit. You will be given a receipt
4. take the key/card home and put it into your meter. Electricity will show automatically. For gas, press and hold the red button (A)

Repeat steps 1, 3 and 4 each time you want to top up.

To repay a debt using your meter we first agree a weekly amount that will be taken from your electricity meter.

We take 1% of your agreed amount every 101 minutes. So if your agreed amount is £6, we take 6p every 101 minutes until we have taken £6. That works out as 85p a day.

What if I don't top up every week?
It is part of the agreement to top up your meter with credit every week even if you aren't using electricity.

If there's not enough credit on the meter to collect your repayment, the meter will switch off and you'll have to pay any debt owed before it can be turned back on.

Struggling to make your weekly payments?
To help you with your debt repayment, we can arrange for your weekly recovery to be increased or decreased for short periods of time to suit your lifestyle.

Contact us online: Or over the phone on 0800 048 0303*. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Your debt might not appear on your meter straight away. If this is the case, we will always write and let you know when it will be added.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes

To repay an outstanding balance, we first agree a weekly amount that will be taken through your gas meter. We then take the agreed amount from the top ups you make. On a gas meter a week runs from Wednesday morning to Tuesday night.

If you top up by less than the agreed amount, we don't take the full amount of your top up to pay your debt. We take 90% of the amount you top up and leave 10% for gas until the agreed weekly amount is reached.

So if your agreed amount is £10 and you top up £10, we will take £9 and leave you £1 for gas. This means you still owe £1, which we will take next time you top up that week.

Once you've paid your weekly amount, any further top ups will go onto your meter in full - until the next Wednesday when it starts again.

What if I don't top up every week?
It is part of the agreement to top up your meter with credit every week even if you aren't using gas to make sure the meter can collect the debt to the agreed repayment schedule and so you have credit available for fuel.

If you don't keep up the repayment schedule, we take an amount each night from the meter (2/7ths of whatever is on the meter) until repayments are brought back on date. If you don't use your meter, we will try to take the weekly repayments you've missed the next time you use it.

Struggling to make your weekly payments?
To help you with your debt repayment, we can arrange for your weekly recovery to be increased or decreased for short periods of time to suit your lifestyle.

Contact us online or over the phone on 0800 048 0303*. We are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Your debt might not appear on your meter straight away. If this is the case, we will always write and let you know when it will be added.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes

If the full amount you topped up by is not showing on your meter it may be that:

• you have used up your emergency credit, find out more aboutemergency credit
• you have an outstanding balance to pay off - if this is the case, an amount may be taken from your top up. If you are a debt customer follow the links below:
  
  

Electricity meter

If you're still concerned, Contact us online or you can call us on 
0800 048 0303*. We're open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

If your energy use seems to be a little higher than usual, it might not be the result of a faulty meter. It might be worth thinking about your energy habits and whether they've altered recently.

As a rule, most of our customers use more energy during the colder months, so the amount you top up by in winter is likely to be much more than in summer.

Lifestyle changes, like the arrival of a new baby or school holidays, might see increases in your usual consumption. New appliances like washer-dryers and LCD televisions also tend to use slightly more energy.

You also might pay more if you are paying off a debt through your meter and have not been topping up weekly. The meter will automatically take more than your weekly recovery rate to help you catch up.

Find out more about how you repay money through your meter:

Electricity meter

If you're concerned about your energy usage see if we can help you save by trying our free Energy Savers Report.

If you think your energy usage hasn't changed fill in our
Online contact form selecting Pay As You Go Energy™ from the drop-down menu. If you prefer, call us on 0800 048 0303* we are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

If you're getting a:

• replacement pay as you go meter, the engineer will transfer your balance from your old meter to your new meter
• new credit meter, try to keep your balance as low as possible the week before the new meter is fitted

If there's any credit left on your meter on the day of exchange you can arrange for it to be transferred to your account by contacting us on 
0800 048 0303*. We're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

First, check you have credit on your meter. If you have run out of credit, ensure you turned off your electric cooker if you have one before you top up again.

Has your key stopped working at the PayPoint? If you've tried topping up at multiple PayPoints, you'll need a new key. Find out how to get a new electricity key.

Is there an error message on your meter? If so, for instructions on what to do next choose the error message from the options below.

Blank display
If there's a red light on the meter, try inserting your key or pressing the blue button. If this doesn't fix it, call us on 0800 048 0303,* our lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a weeks.

Messages starting with an E, D2 or any other message not listed
Make a note of your meter's serial number (begins with S or F and is usually under the screen next to the barcode), as shown below. Then call us on0800 048 0303*, our lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

D1, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8 and D9 messages
Sometimes it's just a bit of dust on the key that can cause this problem. Blow the key to clear any dust or wipe with a clean cloth then try inserting it in the meter again.

Still not working? You need a new key, see: My electricity key is faulty/damaged: what should I do?

No error message
If you have credit and there's no error message on your meter, follow the advice below:

• check your trip-switches. If one is down, a faulty appliance or faulty wiring could have caused this to turn the electricity off
• if there is no red light on your meter and the screen is blank, there may be a problem in your area. We recommend calling your local electricity distributor for assistance.

If there is a distribution problem in your area, for safety we recommend turning all appliances off, but keep one light on so you know when the power comes back on. Find the electricity distributor for where you live by using our post code look up tool.

Still have questions about your electricity supply? Contact us on 
0800 048 0303 or textphone 18001 0800 072 86268,* we're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

First check you've got credit on your meter. If you have run out of credit, for your safety, turn off all appliances before topping up.

If there's no error message on your meter, see No message on meter in copy below

If there is an error message on your meter, get instructions on how to solve the problem by choosing the error message you're seeing from the list below.

Card fail (possibly with number after it)
Call help
Battery
Battery fail
-----
M*****
Card Pass
Invalid Card
Card not accepted
Please Wait (stuck on meter screen)
Blank screen

Card fail (possibly with number after it) you need a new card. See: My gas card is faulty/damaged: what should I do?

Call help, Battery, Battery fail, ----- (5 dashes), M***** (5 stars), Card Pass, Invalid Card, Card not accepted, Please Wait (stuck on meter screen, Blank screen.

We may need to send an engineer out. Please call us on 0800 048 0303* or textphone 18001 0800 072 86268* when you're at home and have access to your meter. Our lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

No message on meter
Check your gas appliances are turned on and that you have credit. If youhave credit and there's no error message on your meter, call gas emergency services on 0800 111 999.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

We may be able to exchange your meter if:

• you're over 18 or somebody over 18 is willing to take responsibility for your account
• you're not in debit on any British Gas account
• you're not in credit by over £50 (we suggest you run your credit down as much as possible as we can't transfer large amounts to your new credit meter)

Take an up-to-date meter reading and call us on 0800 048 0303*. We'll do a credit check in your name. If you pass the credit check we can arrange for a date for your meter to be exchanged and discuss your payment options.

Prefer not to be credit checked? We can still exchange the meter if you pay a security deposit upfront, based on your consumption history. Call us on 0800 048 0303* to discuss what this payment would be for you.

Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

If you're having an issue with your meter, check our advice below:

• there's a message on my gas meter
• there's a message on my electricity meter
• my gas meter screen says OFF
• my meter's damaged
• my reading hasn't changed or is going backwards

Damaged meter
If you notice fire, sparking, smoking or burning, call the fire brigade. Then turn off all your appliances and call your local distributor.

Find your electricity distributor by post code.

If your meter is damaged we can send someone out to make sure you and your property are safe. Call us on 0800 048 0303* to report the problem. Our lines are open 24 hours a day 7 days a weeks

Reading hasn't changed or is going backwards
If this is the case, you may be using energy that you're not paying for. You'll have to pay this back so it's best to tell us as soon as possible so we can fix the problem.

Call us on 0800 048 0303* or textphone 18001 0800 072 86268**. Our lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

For instructions on what to do next, choose from the options below:

Blank display
Is the red light on your meter lit up? Try inserting your key or pressing the blue button. If this doesn't fix it, call us on 0800 048 0303*.

Messages starting with an E, D2 or any other message
Make a note of your meter's serial number (this begins with S or F and is usually under the screen next to the barcode) and call us on 
0800 048 0303*.

D1, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8 and D9 messages
Sometimes it's just a bit of dust on the key that can cause this problem. Blow the key to clear any dust or wipe with a clean cloth then try inserting it in the meter again.

Still not working? You need a new key, see below:

My electricity key is faulty/damaged: what should I do?

* Our lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

For instructions on what to do next, choose the error message from the options below:

Card fail (possibly with number after it)
If you see this message when you insert your card into your meter, you need a new card, see: my gas card is faulty or damaged.

Call help, Battery, Battery fail, ----- , M***** , Card Pass, Invalid Card, Card not accepted, Please Wait (stuck on meter screen)
If you have any of these messages on your meter screen we may need to send an engineer out. Please call us on 0800 048 0303* when you're near the meter.

* Our lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.

Each type of meter is read slightly differently. Here is a guide to the different types of gas and electricity meters and how to read them:

On this page: Gas meters: | Electricity meters:

On some meters there is a second glass screen with a sequence of numbers behind it. This is your meter reading.

Other meters have a digital display:

1. Press the red button A once to activate the screen.
2. Wait for the Please wait message to disappear.
3. Press the red button A twice.
4. You should see a screen that says meter index - this is your meter reading.

• Back to top

You can see your meter screen information by pressing the blue button on your meter. To get from screen to screen press the blue button again.

• Single rate meter: your meter reading is on screen H
• 2 rate meter (or economy 7 meters): your meter reading is on screens H and J.

You'll find the screen letter on the left of your meter display.

Taking a meter reading to give to us? Remember to make a note of the date you took it.

This is easily fixed:

1. Turn all of your appliances off.
2. Remove your gas card.
3. If your screen is blank, press the red button A to activate the meter display.
4. Your screen will show your credit balance and the word OFF.
5. Turn your meter on by pressing the red button. This message will appear on the screen: If appliances off Press A button.
6. Press the red button and hold it down until the meter beeps.

We're sorry if an engineer has missed an appointment with you. Call us on our free phone number 0800 048 0303* so we can investigate what has happened and reschedule the appointment.

* Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls may be recorded and/or monitored for quality assurance and compliance purposes.