Sourcing prepayment electricity meters from China

Duty on prepayment electricity meters

Heading 9028 covers electricity supply or production meters and their parts, alongside gas and liquid meters. For prepayment electricity meters, distinguish single-phase alternating-current models, multiphase models and other electricity meters. Prepayment describes the payment function; specify the electrical configuration when checking classification.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, all the selected electricity-meter and electricity-meter parts lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duties, suspensions or attached import controls for these lines. Import VAT is separate from customs duty.

Confirm the commodity code using the meter specification and whether the shipment contains complete meters or separately supplied parts. See the wider meters guide for gas and liquid meters.

Specify the credit system and approval scope

State whether the meter is for supplier billing, landlord sub-metering or internal monitoring. For uses covered by the Measuring Instruments Regulations, confirm the applicable conformity assessment and conformity and metrology marking requirements with the relevant authority. Under those regulations, a type approval certificate alone does not approve an electricity meter for supplier or landlord billing.

Agree the phase configuration, voltage, current range, accuracy class, mounting, terminals and display language. Specify the top-up method, vending-system compatibility, credit units, tariff settings, emergency-credit behaviour and disconnection and reconnection sequence. Test the meter with the actual vending system before approving the sample.

Ask what happens to the balance and settings after a power interruption. Agree access permissions for tariff changes, tamper-event recording and replacement-meter setup. For supplier-installed smart meters, confirm with the relevant authority which government smart metering equipment specifications apply; settle the target specification before sampling.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative batch of single-phase prepayment electricity meters for a property business under 9028 30 11 00, invoiced at £45,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £47,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £47,000, so it is £9,400. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Documents and identity: match model, accuracy class, serial numbers and applicable conformity and metrology markings to the approval documents. Check that the evidence covers more than type examination alone.

Measurement: test sampled meters on a calibrated bench at several loads and power factors, including starting current and no-load creep. Compare results with the agreed accuracy class.

Credit handling: load credit through the intended vending system, consume it under controlled conditions and check the displayed balance. Test rejected and reused top-ups, exhausted credit, emergency credit and recovery after power loss.

Construction and arrival: check terminal security, enclosure damage, display readability, seals and tamper detection. Compare delivered hardware and firmware with the approved sample and record discrepancies during inspection.

What goes wrong

A meter can measure electricity correctly yet fail the buyer's payment workflow. Risks to test include incompatible top-up tokens, incorrect tariff settings, lost balances after power interruption and a relay that reconnects unexpectedly. Make the acceptance demonstration cover the complete credit cycle.

Another problem is treating a type approval certificate as complete billing approval. Check the full conformity evidence against the delivered model before release. Electrical accuracy, credit arithmetic and tamper protection need separate checks; a working display does not establish that they all pass.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For components and parts, see sourcing for manufacturers.