Type 5 Meters

You may have noticed your electricity meter looks a little different. And the way it works is a little different too. It’s called a Type 5 Meter, or ‘Interval Meter’ because it records your electricity consumption (in kWh) every 30 minutes and then stores that information electronically until it’s read.

Reading your meter.

With traditional meters, your consumption was calculated by subtracting the previous meter reading from the current one to show how much electricity you have used. This subtractive method gives you the figure for the billing period. Now, when your Interval Meter is read, the recorded intervals provide us with a total consumption figure for that billing period. After being read your meter is then reset and starts adding up from zero again. It’s just a small change in calculation methods.

Reading your bill.

Just because your meter looks different, it doesn’t change the way your bill looks. It contains all the regular features including your opening balance, activity during the billing cycle and the total amount due.

In the future, we’re looking at ways to give you more details about your energy use. The breakdown of your use from your new meter rather than an overall figure will make this possible. It’s a small difference but it will add up in your favour.