Guidance

National regulation: gas and electricity meters

Ensuring that meters register the correct quantity of gas and electricity consumed.

From:
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Published
6 November 2025

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is only responsible for gas and electricity metering accuracy and complaints about billing should firstly be directed to the supplier concerned. The Citizens Advice consumer service can assist you with this and provide independent advice on energy supply. If your supplier is unable to resolve your dispute then the Energy Ombudsman can investigate.

Billing purposes

Any gas or electricity meter used for the purpose of billing, whether by a licensed energy supplier or a landlord, must be of an approved design. All domestic and smaller industrial / commercial metering applications are covered by this requirement and only meter types that operate to defined accuracy and performance requirements are approved.

Meter approval

The approval of meter types under domestic law is carried out by OPSS. Before 2006, meters were approved under the Gas Act 1986 or the Electricity Act 1989. Since 2006, newer meters have also been approved under the European Measuring Instruments Directive 2014 (MID 2014/32/EU – previously 2004/22/EC), which was implemented into domestic law by the Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016 (MIR) (SI 2016/1153).

Your gas and electricity meter at home must be approved under regulations made under the Gas and Electricity Acts.

Read guidance on the approval process for gas and electricity meters under the Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016.

Read guidance on the approval process for gas and electricity meters in Great Britain under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989.

Gas meters

The use and performance of gas meters are governed by Section 17 of the Gas Act 1986 and supporting legislation in the form of Statutory Instruments (SI). The key documents are the:

Gas meter stamping

The provisions set out in the Gas Act 1986 have the effect that:

‘No meter shall be used for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity of gas supplied through pipes to any person unless it is stamped either by, or on the authority of, a meter examiner appointed by the Secretary of State.’

In addition, a meter cannot be stamped unless it is of an approved pattern and construction.

This requirement applies to all meters for domestic, commercial and light industrial billing (i.e. meters up to a maximum flow rate of 1,600 cubic metres per hour at standard conditions of temperature and pressure).

Read guidance on gas meter stamping.

Electricity meters

The use and performance of electricity meters are governed by Schedule 7 of the Electricity Act 1989 and supporting legislation in the form of Statutory Instruments (SI). The key documents are the:

It is a requirement under Schedule 7 of the Electricity Act 1989 that all meters (i.e. primary and secondary) used for billing purposes must be of an approved pattern or construction and installed in an approved manner.

Register of approved electricity meters

Prior to October 2006 electricity meters were approved under the Electricity Act 1989, and a list of approved meters is available

View the Register of approved electricity meters.

Certification

Schedule 7 of the Electricity Act 1989 also requires that meters are certified, although this requirement is not applicable to meters installed in non-domestic premises or for secondary meters (e.g. in a landlord-tenant situation). However, where certification is not required, there must be an agreement, in writing, between the supplier and consumer to dispense with certification and the meter is still required to be approved (i.e. for billing purposes it is not possible to dispense with the requirements for approval).

Read guidance on electricity meter certification.

Meter accuracy

If you believe your gas or electricity meter is inaccurate, you should always contact your supplier. The legislation does allow for you to have your gas meter or your electricity meter independently tested.

Read guidance on unmetered supplies of electricity.

Onsite renewable electricity generation: import supply meters

Many consumers have installed renewable electricity generating equipment (such as solar photovoltaic) at their homes. In some cases, the import supply meter is affected by this onsite generation, resulting in inaccurate readings and leading to issues with billing and electricity settlement (the comparison of the energy produced by the consumer with the energy consumed).

This complex problem arises from different aspects of the electricity system. It has occurred for equipment installed under the government-backed Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) scheme, and its predecessor the Feed-in Tariff scheme, both administered by Ofgem. OPSS and Ofgem have worked with industry to resolve the matter, building on a joint letter published in 2014.

SEG installations must be in Great Britain, and the meter must comply with metering legislation. OPSS does not consider meters affected by onsite generation to be appropriate, because of the negative impact on billing and electricity settlement. Suppliers failing to change a meter they are aware is inappropriate are not meeting their obligations under the Electricity Act 1989.

Updates to this page

Published 6 November 2025

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