It is a good idea to ensure energy bills are based on actual readings to keep your bills accurate. If you're with E.ON, you can give us your latest readings online.
Gas and Electricity meters come in many different types:-
Mechanical Pointer Dial
These have small round mechanical dials with numbers 0 to 9 marked on each dial. It is usual to start reading the left hand dial first, then move towards the right.
Please note that adjacent dials go round in opposite directions, so read the number that the pointer has ‘just’ passed. Ignore a red dial (or one at the end that has no pointer).
Mechanical Digital
These show digital numbers. It is usual to read the first five digits. Ignore any red digit or one that begins '0.1'.
Electronic Digital
Similar to the mechanical digital meter but may require a button to be pressed to show the display or cycle through the different rates such as E7 electricity meters.
Economy 7 Dual Rate Electricity Meters
These are usually installed where houses use electric storage heaters, however the cheap rate can be used by all electric appliances during the off peak period to reduce energy bills. Remember, devices such as washers or dryers that have a timer function could be set to take advantage of the cheap rate electricity.
The meters have two sets of readings and you will need to provide both sets of figures when giving a reading. These may be marked day (or normal), night (or low) rate.
Economy 7 type meters generally offer low cost energy over the cheap rate period. This is around 12 midnight to 7am GMT, although some meters are fitted with special switches that vary the start and finish time slightly.
Prepayment Meters
These help customers manage their energy bills. They're generally electronic and may have single or duel (E7) rate (Electricity only). They require cards or tokens to operate.
Smart Meters
These are generally not in use yet although Ofgem are doing some trials with a number of utility companies, including us. They could help customers by providing automated billing and provide energy consumption information that can help the customer better understand their energy use, and so help to make their homes more energy efficient.
Source: (Energy Services Metering)