Your meter is in the wrong place and needs moving
The symptom: “The meter is inside the house, behind a locked gate, or somewhere nobody can read it.”
Short answer. Meter shifting is a chargeable application at the sub-divisional office, and it is the permanent fix for repeated estimated bills caused by access. Never move a meter yourself or have a private electrician do it — breaking the seals converts an access problem into an alleged tampering case.
Urgency: Worth sorting out, not urgent. Expect: Two to eight weeks from application to execution, depending on survey and crew scheduling.
Why this happens
- Original installation inside the premises
- Older connections were routinely metered indoors. Every one of them is a candidate for repeated estimation once the household stops being home during reading hours.
- Construction has enclosed the meter
- A boundary wall, an extension or a new gate built around what was once an accessible position.
- The position is unsafe
- A meter over a drain, under a leaking gutter, or within reach of a wet surface. Safety is a stronger ground for shifting than convenience and should be stated as such.
- Property subdivision
- Where a plot is split, one occupant can end up with their meter inside somebody else's portion, which creates a long-running access dispute.
What to do, in order
- Decide the new position before applying. Outside wall, at readable height, sheltered from rain, not over a drain, and reachable without entering the premises. Proposing a specific position speeds the survey up considerably.
- Apply in writing with the reason. State the ground — repeated estimation, enclosure by construction, or safety. Safety grounds are treated with more urgency.
- Expect a survey and an estimate of cost. Shifting is at the consumer's cost where it is for the consumer's convenience. The estimate covers labour, cable and any new mounting.
- Pay the estimate and get the work scheduled. Keep the receipt and the job reference.
- Be present when the work is done. Note the reading before removal and after reinstallation, photograph both, and check that new seals are fitted. These two numbers are what the next bill is calculated from.
- Verify the first bill afterwards. Readings, meter number and multiplying factor. Meter work is where those fields most often go wrong.
What to take with you
- Written application stating the reason
- Ownership or tenancy proof
- The latest paid bill
If it stalls, escalate in this order
- Sub-divisional officer
- Executive engineer where a safety-grounded request is not surveyed promptly
Attach the earlier stamped applications at each rung. Starting the story again from the beginning at every level is the slowest possible way to escalate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move the meter myself if I use a qualified electrician?
No. The meter and its seals are the company's property, and breaking a seal is treated as interference regardless of who did it or why. The consequences of that are far worse than the delay of applying properly.
Who pays when the meter has to move because the company's pole was relocated?
Where the move is driven by the company's own network changes rather than by the consumer's convenience, the cost should not fall on the consumer. Say so in the application.
Related problems
- Your bills keep being estimated instead of read — My bill says AVG or assessed again — nobody has read the meter for months.
- Your meter has stopped, is running fast, or is damaged — The meter display is dead, or the reading has not moved, or it seems to be racing.
- The reading on your bill does not match your meter — The present reading printed on my bill is higher than what the meter actually shows.
Background reading
All 17 procedures are listed in the help centre index. For company contact details and helplines, see complaints.