A column of meter readings

Keep a dated column of readings, so an estimated bill can be answered with evidence rather than an argument.

An estimated bill is the supplier guessing. Guesses lean generous, and they are very hard to argue with from memory. A column of dated readings is not memory — it is evidence, and it settles the matter in one telephone call.

The same habit is worth having for a few other things, and they all fit in the same spreadsheet, on their own sheets:

Key points

Keep a dated column of meter readings.
Answer an estimated bill with evidence rather than an argument.
Keep the furnace, the guarantees and the renewal dates in the same place.

What to remember

Date, reading, and whether you sent it. Three things, once a month.
An estimated bill is a guess waiting to be corrected. A dated reading is what corrects it.

Try this

Read your gas or electricity meter tonight and write the date and the number in a spreadsheet. One line. Do it again next month and you will have something no supplier can argue with.

Practice: A column of meter readings. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.