How to read your business gas meter
5 Mar 2021
Our handy guide, photos and videos show you how to accurately read your business gas meter
We know how important accurate energy bills are to businesses in the UK where every penny counts and positive cashflow is vital to the smooth running of your business. If you don't have a smart meter that sends meter reads from your business to British Gas automatically, it's important to know how to read your gas meter manually and submit your monthly readings.
When you submit accurate gas readings on a regular basis, you'll get more accurate bills. With an estimated bill, there's a chance that you're using less energy than you've paid for; or potentially worse, more than you're budgeting for.
We've created this handy guide, including a link to our main help article with photos and videos, to help you get accurate readings from your business gas meter and putting a stop to estimated bills. There are four different types of gas meter you could have, so make sure to first identify which one is relevant for you.
1) Imperial meter
An imperial meter looks like a car odometer and measures gas in cubic feet (ft3). It normally displays four digits and you can easily identify it because the words "ft3" will appear on the front.
The display is straightforward with one set of numbers that are digitally displayed across the meter. Reading from left to right, write down the first four numbers you see including any zeros and ignoring any numbers after the decimal point, or which may be shown in red.
2) Metric meter
This type of meter measures gas usage in cubic metres (m3) and normally displays five numbers then a decimal point, followed by more numbers. Digital gas meters will also display the units "m3" near the reading.
To read the meter, write down the first five numbers reading from left to right including any zeros. Ignore any numbers after the decimal point or space, which may also be shown in red.
3) Electronic meter
The five-digit electronic gas meter will have one set of numbers to read. The display is straightforward with one set of numbers that are digitally displayed across the meter. Reading from left to right, write down the first five numbers you see including any zeros and ignoring any numbers after the decimal point, or which may be shown in red, and you're done.
4) Dial meter
At first glance, the dial rate meter looks like a confusing and complicated arrangement of dials, but, it's much easier to read than you may think. When looking at the meter, you'll see six different circular dials. To accurately read the meter, you need only pay attention to the first five dials (the sixth dial is usually red in colour – you can ignore this dial). Reading the dials from left to right, make a note of the number that each pointer is aimed towards. If the dial is pointing between two different numbers, write down the lowest of the two numbers to ensure greater accuracy.
Find more information, including helpful photos and videos, visit how to read my business energy meter.
Submitting your business gas meter readings
As a British Gas business customer, once you've made a note of your business gas reading or readings, you can easily submit them online. How you do this will depend on whether you have an online account with us or not. Select one of the links below to submit your meter reading(s) and only pay for the energy you've used. You'll need to do this regularly to get accurate bills.
- Yes, I have an online account – if you don't already have an online account it's quick to register and get email alerts when your meter readings are due.
Save time by upgrading to a smart meter
If you're looking to avoid having to read your business electricity meter and submit your reading(s) manually, you should consider upgrading to a smart meter. Once you're connected, we'll regularly receive your smart meter readings. With your smart readings your bills will be more accurate as you'll only be charged for the energy you've used, and you won't have to submit monthly readings any longer.
For more information and to find answers to frequently asked questions about smart meters for business, go to our FAQ page.
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How to read your business electricity meter
How managing your business energy online can help lower bills
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