Faulty or Defective Meter: What to Do
A meter can stop, run too fast, or burn out. NEPRA's rules say how fast it must be replaced, how you should be billed in the meantime, and how to have the meter tested. Here is what to do.
Open your billWhen Your Meter Is Faulty
A meter can stop, run too fast, burn out, or show readings that do not match your use. When that happens, NEPRA's consumer service rules say how quickly the company must replace it, how you should be billed in the meantime, and how you can have the meter tested.
Here is what to do and what to expect. This guide covers:
Signs Your Meter May Be Faulty
A few simple checks can tell you whether the meter is the problem.
It has stopped, is blank, or is burnt
A meter that shows nothing, has stopped moving, or looks burnt is clearly faulty and should be reported.
It seems to run too fast
If your bill jumps while your usage has not changed, the meter may be over-recording. Compare the units on your bill with the billing history printed on it.
The simple leakage and meter check
Switch everything in the house off at the main and look at the meter. If it is still running, either power is leaking somewhere or the meter has a fault. An electrician can trace a leak, and a suspected meter fault is one to report to your company.
Report it to your company
Report a suspected faulty meter at your subdivision office. The next steps, replacement and testing, are set by NEPRA's consumer service rules.
Getting a Faulty Meter Replaced
Once a meter is found defective, NEPRA's consumer service rules set a clear timeline for replacing it.
Replaced within two billing cycles
Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, the company must replace a defective metering installation immediately, or within two billing cycles if a meter is not available.
No back-charging for before it went wrong
If your meter was working correctly up to the last billing cycle, the company cannot go back and charge you extra for earlier months. The fault is not treated as if it had always been there.
How You Are Billed While It Is Replaced
While a defective meter is being replaced, your bill is estimated. NEPRA's consumer service rules set exactly how.
Average billing, for up to two months
The company may bill you on an average basis for a maximum of two months. The estimate is the higher of two figures: your usage in the same months of last year, or your average of the last eleven months.
Then the new meter takes over
After the new meter is installed, your normal metered billing resumes, so the estimate is only a short-term measure while the meter is changed.
Challenging Your Meter's Accuracy
If you think your meter is recording wrongly, you have the right to have it tested. NEPRA's consumer service rules set out the process and the cost.
The meter challenge fee
Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, you pay a meter challenge fee, set at Rs. 500 for a single-phase connection and Rs. 1,000 for a three-phase connection.
Tested in your presence within seven working days
After you pay the fee, the company must check the meter's accuracy in your presence, or that of your representative, within seven working days.
If the meter is found fast
If the test shows the meter runs fast, it is changed at the company's cost and you are credited for up to the two previous billing cycles.
If the meter is found slow
If the test shows the meter runs slow, the slowness can be charged to you for up to the two previous billing cycles.
An Independent Test and How to Escalate
If you are not satisfied with the company's test, there is an independent route.
The Electric Inspector
You can ask the Provincial Office of Inspection, also called the Electric Inspector, to check the meter's accuracy. Under NEPRA's consumer service rules, the Inspector carries this out within one month of your request.
Your meter stays until the test
The company may not remove the disputed meter until that independent test has been done, so the evidence is preserved.
Taking a complaint further
If a billing dispute over the meter is not resolved, you can take it higher. Our guide to complaints and helplines explains the full process and the numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my electricity meter is faulty?
How long does the company have to replace a faulty meter?
How am I billed while my meter is being replaced?
How can I get my electricity meter checked or challenge it?
What if my meter is found running fast?
Can I get an independent test of my meter?
Check your bill and your meter reading
Open your official bill and compare the meter reading and snapshot on it with what your meter shows now. If they do not match, a faulty meter may be the reason.
More Guides
Keep going with our other simple guides to your electricity bill.
- Payment Methods Easypaisa, JazzCash, banks Read guide
- Read Your Bill What every line means Read guide
- Why Is the Bill So High? High bill, explained Read guide
- Complaints & Helplines How to complain, who to call Read guide
- Detection Bills Caps, formula, your rights Read guide
- Due Dates & Late Payment Due date, LPS, installments Read guide
- Reduce Your Bill Proven ways to use less Read guide
- Peak Hours When power costs more Read guide