Did You Know… Life In 1960s/70s Britain: You Had to Put Money Into a Coin Meter for Electricity?

For many households in Britain there was a time when paying for electricity did not involve monthly bills, online accounts, or direct debits.

Instead, it involved cash, actual physical money.

Electricity was often paid for with shillings and then, later, after decimalisation was introduced in 1971, a ten pence coin. As time passed and with inflation, a fifty pence coin became the norm.

Many homes had a coin meter. It was typically mounted on a wall, usually in the hallway or under the stairs. Sometimes it was hidden away in a cubbyhole. 

Unlike today, where meters are digital, the old meters had a mechanical number mechanism, that showed the number of units used. They also had a spinning wheel inside which would speed up when more appliances were in use.

At times, it would go really fast.

That coin meter controlled the electricity supply to the home, and to keep the lights on, you had to feed it with coins.

Paying as You Used It

Today, most people pay their electricity bills at the end of the month or quarterly. They are paying for electricity already used. But in the days of coin meters, it was different.

The idea behind coin meters was simple: you had to pay in advance. It was most commonly found in rented homes, bedsits and flats, or for families who preferred to manage spending week by week.

Inside the metal meter box was a slot where the coins were inserted. Each coin would add a certain amount of credit to the meter. As electricity was used, the credit ticked down. When it ran out, so did the power. There was no warning. It was a straightforward system, but it meant households had to keep an eye on the meter, especially in the evening when lights, televisions, and heaters were all in use.

The equivalent of the coin meter today is the prepayment meter. The modern version uses a card or key, which is topped up by a visit to a local shop or post office. You can pay the shop with coins, but the meter is all digital.

Unlike the old coin meters, prepayment meters allow an emergency payment. If the electricity runs out, you can use it straight away. Of course, you are charged a daily rate of interest for it, but at least the lights are kept on until you can top up again.

Not so in the 1960s and 70s. Once the lights went out, you were in the dark until you fed the coin meter again.

The Lights Go Out

For those of us who lived with the coin meters, we remember the familiar moment when the lights suddenly went out, especially at night.

Darkness.

And silence — except for the occasional cursing of the meter.

One minute you were enjoying a programme that everyone wanted to see — the next, total darkness. Shouting could be heard.

“Not now. I’m going to miss it. Anyone got a light so I can see what I’m doing?” Mam or Dad would cry out as they searched for that magical coin that would bring back the light.

And when video recorders became available in the 1970s, you could be recording a programme, and then the electricity ran out. Or you went out, set the timer, only to come home to a blank tape or the final ten minutes lost when the meter cut out.

When cooking, it became a household emergency.

“Quickly, feed that meter; there’s a chicken in the oven.”

Sometimes, someone would immediately say the obvious:

“Has the meter run out?”

Coins then had to be found, often in a hurry.

If pockets and purses didn’t have the right coins or were empty, someone was given the task of running down to the corner shop, the off-licence, or the local pub. As a last resort, you hoped a neighbour was home and borrowed from them.

On one occasion, my Dad made that trip to the pub to get some change, and two hours later he was still there.

“Well, Stan offered to buy me a drink. I couldn’t say no, could I?” Was his excuse.

Mam wasn’t impressed.

The "Lecky" Man

Once in a while, someone from the electricity board would visit the house to empty the meter. He was known as the meter man, or the “Lecky” man. He would unlock the box containing the coins, count the money, record the amount, and reset the mechanism.

For children, it was fascinating to watch.

The tin holding the coins would rattle as he unlocked it from the meter. He would then put them into his collection bag. Sometimes the money would be spread out on a table and counted. It was the physical evidence of the electricity used since his last visit.

I remember a lot of coins.

A Way to Budget

I suppose in a way, while the coin meters could be inconvenient, they also helped households to manage tight budgets. Paying small amounts regularly made the cost of electricity feel more manageable. 

As most people were paid weekly, change for the coin meter would be put on one side.

“That’s all I have until Friday — payday. Make sure it lasts.” We were told.

Families became aware of how much power they were using. Lights would be switched off when not needed. Electric heaters were used sparingly. You had some control over how much electricity you used.

And there was one good thing about the coin meter.

There were no standing charges.

No hidden extras added like they do today, which means you have to pay just to have the meters on the property, under the disguise of “network costs”.

With the coin meter, you paid for what you used — all in. 

Any network costs were included in that coin you put in the meter. It meant that you had greater control over what you used, and how much you paid. It was a system that encouraged people to monitor their own usage, and be aware of wastage, even if it was out of necessity.

Debt

The coin meter also meant that you might avoid energy debt. While some people undoubtedly struggled, finding numbers on debt owed back then is not easy, or as straightforward as today. 

For many, putting coins in the meter might mean taking out a loan, or borrowing from family and friends if money was short that week. At worst, the local loan shark. I recall living in bedsit-land back in the 1980s, and having to occasionally borrow a fifty pence coin to feed the meter. It was usually when the lights went out at night, and I had no change.

And the 60s and 70s, did have its own economic crises — like the oil crisis of 1973 — sound familiar? Or the three-day week.

There was also inflation, lots of it throughout the 60s and 70s.

But today, the amount of gas and electricity debt is known. Currently, it stands at £5.5 billion owed to the private energy companies. It is forecast to rise to £7 billion by the end of 2026, and that's before any impact from the latest oil crisis feeds through.

A System That Slowly Disappeared

As billing systems improved and household incomes rose, coin meters gradually fell out of favour. Once the electricity industry was privatised in 1986, companies moved towards quarterly billing and later monthly payments through bank accounts. Digital payments became the norm.

Today, prepayment meters still exist in homes, especially rented properties, or for people who have got into debt. But the old metal coin meters, with their clinking slots and ticking mechanisms, have largely disappeared. They are a thing of the past.

It is all digital now.

Looking Back

For those who remember them, coin meters were simply part of everyday life. They sat quietly on the wall, doing their job, until that moment when they reminded everyone they were there, as they plunged the house into darkness.

It may sound unusual today, but at the time it was simply how many homes managed their power — one coin at a time.

Image 1 — Mike1024 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 — Seattle Municipal Archives, CC BY 2.0 httpscreativecommons. via Wikimedia Commons