Approved gas and electricity meters
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-06)

Approval process for gas and electricity meters in Great Britain under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989.

Approval process

Prototype meters are tested by laboratories that have been accredited against relevant international standards and their test reports may be accepted as demonstration of compliance with certain aspects of the standards. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) will analyse the test report from the accredited laboratory and, if satisfied, complete the process for approving a specific meter type, including issuing a formal approval certificate to the manufacturer.

The following meters can be approved in GB under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989:
- diaphragm (often denoted by U6 or G4) or electronic design (denoted by E6) domestic gas meters
- induction (electro-mechanical) and static (electronic) electricity meters
Register of approved electricity meters

For electricity meters only, after a formal approval certificate has been issued, the meter is then listed in the register of approved electricity meters. This is a register of all pattern-approved electricity meters suitable for billing purposes in GB.

View the Register of approved electricity meters. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-approved-electricity-meters)

Modifications

All subsequent modifications to approved meters are also subject to further examination and approval. It is important to note that unless a meter is approved by OPSS (or in the case of induction electricity meters, approved by another EU member state) it cannot be used for billing purposes in GB.

Since the European Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) came into force on 30 October 2006, most new meter types could no longer be approved under the Gas or Electricity Acts. However, the MID provided a 10-year transitional period, and minor modifications to existing meter types already approved under the Gas and Electricity Acts were approved by OPSS until 30 October 2016. The (recast) MID was fully implemented into domestic law by the Measuring Instruments Regulations (MIR) (SI 2016/1153). Since then, no gas or electricity meters in scope of MIR could be approved under the Gas or Electricity Acts and placed on the market, although meters already ‘on the wall’ may remain in use for as long as they meet the legal requirements.

Newer meters placed on the market post October 2016 are now approved under the MIR and undergo conformity assessment against essential requirements.

Read guidance on MIR approved gas and electricity meters. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mid-approved-gas-and-electricity-meters)

Read guidance on the Measuring Instruments Regulations 2016. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-instruments-regulations-2016/measuring-instruments-regulations-2016-great-britain)

The regulations

For gas and electricity meters that are approved under the Gas Act 1986 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/44/contents) and the Electricity Act 1989 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/29/contents) respectively, the pattern or construction of your meter type must conform to the requirements specified in the accompanying regulations:

Gas regulations
- Gas (Meters) Regulations 1983 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1983/684/contents) (SI 1983/684)
These regulations prescribe the standards to which gas meters must perform before they can be stamped. In addition the meters must not leak gas or air.

Electricity regulations
- Meters (Approval of Pattern or Construction and Manner of Installation) Regulations 1998 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1565/contents/made) (SI 1998/1565)
- Meters (Certification) Regulations 1998 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1566/contents/made) (SI 1998/1566)
The pattern or construction of a gas or electricity meter is approved by ensuring that the meter type conforms to the requirements covered in the regulations. This is achieved by testing a representative sample of meters in a specialist laboratory against the appropriate technical standard.