Prepayment meter error messages
Once in a while you might see an error message on your meter screen. Here are some of the most common errors, and how you can fix them.
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Due to the coronavirus outbreak, we've made some temporary changes to help if you're on a prepayment meter.
Electricity meters
| Display | What this means | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Error 10 |
What this meansYour key may be dirty or faulty. |
What you need to doFirst, try cleaning the key with a dry cloth and then try again. If it still doesn’t work then please contact us. |
| Error D4 |
What this meansYour key is for another meter. |
What you need to doPlease contact us - we'll give you an 8-digit number and tell you how to use it to reprogramme your key. |
| Error A4/B4 |
What this meansYour key is for another meter. |
What you need to doPlease contact us - we'll give you an 8-digit number and tell you how to use it to reprogramme your key. |
| Token no |
What this meansThere is a fault with your key or your meter. |
What you need to doPlease contact us - we'll give you an 8-digit number and tell you how to use it to reprogramme your key. If your re-programmed key still doesn’t work, then please contact us and we will arrange for an engineer to change your meter. |
| Error 1 or E1 |
What this meansYour meter has a major fault. |
What you need to doPlease contact us - we will arrange for an engineer to change your meter. |
Gas meters
| Display | What this means | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Call help |
What this meansYour meter has a fault which we’ll need to look into. |
What you need to doPlease contact us – we’ll need to arrange for an engineer to come and take a look. |
| Card fail |
What this meansThere may be dust on the card, or your card might be the wrong way around. |
What you need to doClean the card with a dry cloth and try again, making sure it’s the right way around. If this doesn’t work, please contact us and we’ll sort it out for you. |
| Card not accepted |
What this meansThe card isn't accepted by your meter. |
What you need to doMake sure you are using the right card – if you are then please contact us. |
| Blank display |
What this meansNothing to worry about. To save battery power, your meter has a screen saver which will make the screen go blank when not in use. |
What you need to doPress red button A to bring back the display. |
| Battery low (B1, B2, B3) |
What this meansThe battery in your meter is running low and will need replacing soon. |
What you need to doPlease contact us and we will arrange for an engineer to come and change your battery. |
| Dashes appear on the screen |
What this meansYour meter has a fault which we’ll need to look into. Or are you in the ‘budget’ functionality by mistake? |
What you need to doAre you in the ‘budget’ functionality by accident? If not and you still have dashes on screen then please contact us – we’ll need to arrange for an engineer to come and take a look. |
| Please wait |
What this meansYour meter is having trouble reading the card. |
What you need to doRemove the card and wait 2-3 minutes before re-inserting it. If this doesn’t work, please contact us and we’ll get you some help. |
If any of the above information advises you to contact us, or you can’t find the relevant fault number on the list above, then please contact npower on 0800 073 3000. We're open: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm, Saturday from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
If it is an emergency and you have no supply out of hours (9:00pm to 8:00am Monday to Friday, 7:00pm Saturday to 9:00am Sunday, 6:00pm Sunday to 8:00am Monday) then please contact National Grid on 105.
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