Is your electricity meter running fast? Perthshire man could have been overcharged for 17 years

A Perthshire home’s electricity meter is running more than 10% fast and might have been faulty for years.

Roy Brown has lived in a detached home in Murthly, near Dunkeld, for almost 17 years.

With the huge increase in energy costs, like many households, Roy is watching his bills more closely.

From the end of March he took daily readings and became convinced something wasn’t right. He asked his supplier OVO Energy if his electricity meter could be checked.

Roy was told that it was incredibly unlikely the meter would be wrong, but it could be checked – for a £150 fee.

For peace of mind, Roy paid this charge and three calibration tests were carried out in May.

His meter failed all the tests, with engineers concluding it was clocking fast by 10.13%.

Roy, a retired oil and gas worker, said: “It was actually a relief to be told there is something wrong with the meter.

“I was getting paranoid to the point I though someone might be tapping into my electricity.”

Is Roy entitled to compensation?

OVO has refunded the £150 test charge and agreed to put in a new meter – though have missed two appointments. A new date for later this month is set.

They are then going to pay an unspecified “goodwill gesture” of compensation.

Roy, 58, has been told his use for six months after the new meter is installed will be compared to past bills.

He is not sure how far back the compensation will cover.

He said: “This was a new build house when I moved in in December 2005. The meter could have been running fast for 17 years.

“I am hoping OVO will consider a compromise of maybe going back the last five years. I was previously with SSE, which OVO acquired.

“What also concerns me is the number of meters that are not correct out there.

“How many people might want this checked but are unprepared to pay a £150 charge?

“If I hadn’t paid the charge I’d have been paying 10% more for electricity for the rest of my life – thousands of pounds.

“I feel calibrating gas and electricity meters is something energy companies should be doing every five years.”

A spokesperson for OVO said: “We’ve apologised to Mr Brown for the delay in replacing his meter and can confirm an appointment due to go ahead this month.

“We will offer a goodwill gesture once the meter has been replaced.”

Signs your electricity meter runs fast

It is the responsibility of the energy supplier to make sure meters work properly.

Citizens Advice say meter faults are rare and some meters will show an error message.

One way to test is to switch off all appliances and check if the numbers on the display move.

Then switch on one appliance at a time – if the meter starts to move very quickly, it could be faulty.

Citizens Advice adds: “If it’s faulty, your supplier should replace the meter.

“They should also refund you any money they owe you as a result of the fault, for example extra money you paid on a bill.”