Faulty meter? Here are the warning signs

Does your gas or electricity bill seem unusually high? This may be a sign that your meter is faulty! How can I tell? If so, what should I do? What are the risks? With the help of Comparateur-Energie.be, find out what to do if you’re concerned about your meter.

Whether it’s your electricity meter or your gas meter, there’s always a chance you might experience a minor fault. Your meter may, for example, start turning too fast (or too slowly!). In any event, it’s a good idea to have it replaced quickly. If you allow the situation to continue, you risk having a nasty surprise when you receive your energy bill! To avoid any inconvenience, find out how to recognise a meter that is not working properly and, if so, what you need to do.

Signs of a faulty meter: what to spot?

It’s not easy to spot the signs of a faulty meter. After all, you have better things to do than checking that it’s working properly and consistently every day – and that’s quite normal! That’s why we strongly recommend that you take note in the following situations:

First case: your consumption has not changed, but your invoice has doubled or even tripled.

You must always pay attention to this kind of situation. Try to work out where this difference comes from: is it sudden or gradual? Have energy prices increased drastically recently? If the increase in your bill has happened suddenly when your rates have remained stable, the problem may come from your meter!

Second case: you have reduced your gas or electricity consumption, but your bill remained the same. Worse still, it has even increased.

If you have followed our advice to reduce your gas or electricity consumption, you should see a positive impact on your bills.  If that is not the case, it may be because your energy prices have increased. But if prices have remained stable, it’s time to have a look at your gas or electricity meter as it may be turning too fast.

Third case: there are no alarming variations in your bill, but you still think it’s unusually high (or low).

Sometimes, you don’t need to wait for a noticeable difference in your bill to be concerned. If you feel that your consumption is higher than usual when your haven’t changed your habits, it may be useful to check that your meter is working normally.