Most smart meters send readings automatically, but you can still view or take a manual meter reading directly from the meter screen in a few button presses on the meter itself. The exact steps depend on your meter’s make and which buttons it has, but the basic idea is always to wake the screen, cycle through the displays, and note the number shown as kWh (electricity) or m³ (gas).

Key things to know

  • Smart meters usually auto‑send readings to your supplier, so you only need manual readings for checking bills, switching suppliers, or if your smart meter has lost connection.
  • Your reading is the main number on the meter screen, usually labelled with kWh (electricity) or mÂł (gas); ignore leading zeros and anything after a decimal point.
  • The in‑home display (small screen in your house) is mainly for live usage and costs; suppliers normally want the reading from the meter itself, not that display.

How to get an electricity smart meter reading

Because there are several common button layouts, start by matching what your meter looks like, then follow the matching steps. Always write the numbers from left to right and ignore any digits after a decimal point.

1) Meter with “A” button (sometimes blue or green)

These are very common in the UK.

  • Press A once to wake the screen.
  • Press A repeatedly until you see either:
    • “TOTAL ACT IMPORT” and a number followed by kWh, or
    • “Rate 01 Act Imp” / “Rate 02 Act Imp” for two‑rate tariffs (Economy 7, day/night).
  • Take the number on:
    • “TOTAL ACT IMPORT” if you’re asked for just one reading, or
    • “Rate 01 Act Imp” as the day/normal rate and “Rate 02 Act Imp” as the night/second rate if your energy company asks for two readings.

2) Meter with green “A” and white “B” button

  • Press B to light up the screen.
  • Wait until the screen says something like “meter boost” and choose No with A if asked.
  • Then press A to cycle through screens until you see a number followed by kWh.
  • That number (without any decimals) is your electricity meter reading.

3) Meter with two white buttons (no letters)

  • Let the screen auto‑scroll through its pages; most of these meters cycle without pressing anything.
  • Look for the screen that shows a number followed by kWh – that is your main reading.
  • If you have a dual‑rate tariff, there may be two different kWh screens, often labelled with “Rate 1” / “Rate 2”.

4) Meters with “Display” / “Display select”

  • Press Display or Display select to wake the screen.
  • Press it again until you see a number followed by kWh.
  • Take that number as your reading, ignoring decimals and leading zeros.

How to get a gas smart meter reading

Gas smart meters usually show volume in cubic metres (mÂł); suppliers convert this to kWh themselves. Again, note the numbers before any decimal point.

1) Meter with red “A” button

  • Press A to wake the screen.
  • Press A again (sometimes twice) until you see a screen labelled “Meter Index” or a similar label, with a row of numbers.
  • That “Meter Index” number is your gas reading; write down the digits before any decimal point.

2) Meter with a keypad (numbers 0–9)

Common on some UK gas smart meters.

  • Press 9 on the keypad.
  • The screen will show “VOLUME” and then a number in mÂł.
  • Write down the first five digits before any decimal point; this is the reading most suppliers want.

3) Dual‑window or dual‑rate gas meters

Some gas smart meters have two windows or two main screens.

  • Check both screens and look for the one with a solid row of numbers (often labelled “Meter Index”).
  • Use the larger, non‑flashing number as your reading, again ignoring decimals.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Even experienced bill‑payers get tripped up by smart meter displays, so a few quick checks help avoid issues.

  • Don’t use the red digit or decimal place : if you see something like 698.6, you report 698 only.
  • Ignore zeros at the start : 000123 should be reported as 123.
  • Make sure you’re on the right screen : screens showing date, time, or lots of zeros are not the reading; look specifically for kWh (electricity) or mÂł / “Meter Index” (gas).
  • Dual‑rate tariffs : if your bill shows two readings (like “day” and “night”), you need to take both Rate 1 and Rate 2 from the appropriate screens.

If you still cannot match your meter to any of these descriptions, energy suppliers often have photo‑based guides on their websites where you can pick your meter by picture and follow tailored steps.

Quick “forum style” tip roundup

“Press A a few times until you see something that looks like your old meter reading with kWh after it. That’s the number you want – ignore the decimal and any red digits.”

“For gas, you’re basically hunting for ‘Meter Index’ or a number in m³ – again, take the main digits only.”

If you share the exact buttons/labels you see (e.g., “I’ve got green A and white B” or “there’s a keypad and ‘VOLUME’ shows”), the steps can be narrowed right down to your specific smart meter model.

TL;DR : Wake the meter screen, cycle with the main button(s) until you see a steady number labelled with kWh (electricity) or m³ / “Meter Index” (gas), then write down the digits before any decimal point as your smart meter reading.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.