Disputing estimated energy bill with reading

Legal and practical position:

Yes. If your energy supplier has sent you an estimated bill, you are entitled to submit an actual meter reading and require the supplier to reissue an accurate bill based on it. Estimated bills are only ever a provisional figure. An estimate is usually shown on the bill with an “E” next to the reading, while an actual reading is marked “A”. The supplier must recalculate the charges once it has a genuine reading.

How the process works:

1. Take a clear meter reading. Photograph the meter display so you have dated evidence of the reading. If you have more than one meter or a two-rate meter, record all the readings.
2. Send the reading to your supplier through your online account, app, phone or in writing. Ask them expressly to reissue the bill based on the actual reading and to remove or correct the estimate.
3. Check the reissued bill. The corrected figure should reflect your genuine consumption for the period. If the earlier estimate was too high, you should either receive a credit or a reduced amount to pay. If it was too low, the corrected bill may be higher, which is normal and lawful.

Back billing protection:

There is an important limit that protects you where a supplier has failed to bill you accurately over a long period. Under Ofgem’s back billing rules, a supplier generally cannot charge you for energy used more than 12 months ago if it did not bill you accurately for it before, even though it could have done, or where you had asked for an accurate bill and did not get one, or where a direct debit was set too low to cover the true usage. This protection applies to domestic customers and microbusinesses. So if a large “catch-up” bill suddenly arrives covering a long historic period of undercharging that was the supplier’s fault, you may be able to have the charges older than 12 months written off.

Smart meters:

If you have a smart meter operating in smart mode, the supplier should be receiving automatic readings and estimates should not really be arising. If you are still getting estimates despite a working smart meter, raise this, because it may point to a communication or metering fault that needs investigating.

If the supplier does not accept your reading or the dispute continues:

1. Put your complaint in writing to the supplier and keep a copy. Set out the readings, the dates, and what you want them to do. Ask them to treat it as a formal complaint.
2. If they do not resolve it, or after eight weeks without resolution, or if they issue a deadlock letter, you can take the matter to the Energy Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is free to use, independent, and can order the supplier to correct the account, apologise, and pay compensation. Its decision is binding on the supplier if you accept it.
3. Citizens Advice runs the consumer energy helpline and can help you challenge an inaccurate bill and prepare an Ombudsman complaint.

Practical points and evidence:

Keep dated photographs of every reading, copies of all bills showing whether they are estimated or actual, and a record of when you submitted readings. This evidence is what wins a billing dispute. You can also ask the supplier for a full statement of account so you can see how the estimates were built up. If you dispute the bill, keep paying an amount that reflects your genuine usage where you can, so that any later correction is smaller and you avoid unnecessary debt or disconnection risk while the issue is resolved.

Missing facts that could change the advice:

The outcome can depend on whether the account is domestic or business, whether you have a smart meter, how far back the estimates go, whether you previously asked for accurate bills, and whether the correction increases or decreases what you owe. If any large historic sum is involved, focus on the 12-month back billing protection.