Picking a colour to paint your meter box should be straightforward. After all, when people think about the visual appeal of their home, they usually think about the interior. The exterior, not so much.
While choosing the best colour for their walls, carpets, and soft furnishings can take hours or days to decide, when it comes to picking a colour to use on the outside, people usually reach for a paint pot pretty quickly, with a colour chosen in minutes.
But this might not be a good thing. A colour chosen quickly might feel like a relief, but could it be doing your meter box a disservice?
We might be biased, but we think if you’re going to the trouble of painting your meter box, you should spend some time picking the perfect colour. And to help you with that process,we’ve put together this post covering the things you need to consider to make that choice.
How important is the colour of your meter box?
We can all agree that how your home looks outside is important. The back of your house has a large impact on the look of your garden, a place where you need to be able to relax and enjoy the view.
The front of your house is equally important. This is the first impression your house gives to visitors, it can ruin their opinions before they even set foot through the front door – it can even lower their opinion of you! In fact, the look of your house from the street even has its own name, beloved by estate agents and designers equally: kerb appeal.
And the look of your meter box can have a big impact on the kerb appeal of your home. Beyond plant or paving choices, there are actually not many items fixed to the exterior of your house that you can use to make a design statement – those that are there are often left as function over appearance and not given much weight as visually appealing. This makes a meter box something of a core design feature.
In fact, websites like Reddit and DIY forums are full of questions about how to make an ugly meter box more appealing, or how to freshen the look of an old meter box.
It is obviously up to personal taste how important the look of your home’s exterior is, but if you’re looking to build as much kerb appeal as possible for your home, then your outdoor meter box is going to play a part.
Can I cover my meter box?
If you have a meter box that is in pretty good condition but you don’t like the colour, texture or general appearance of it, then there are options beyond simply adding a fresh coat of paint.
First off, you can buy a new meter overbox. These fit neatly and easily over your existing meter box and will cover up an old, damaged or tired-looking box without you having to reach for a paint brush. It will also give you peace of mind, as your energy meter will be protected against bad weather.
If your meter box is still structurally strong, but you are not happy with its appearance, you can buy vinyl wraps to attach to your box. These are not particularly expensive, but can be fiddly to fit. They are self-adhesive, and you will need to find wrap that is suitable for outdoor use, otherwise it could damage the surface, even of a plastic meter box.
How to camouflage a meter box
Rather than spending time maintaining or upgrading your meter box, it is tempting to just hide it by boxing it in with fencing or growing a bush in front of it. Unfortunately, this is not a practical answer.
You’re legally required to keep your energy meters accessible. In case of emergency, your energy meters must be accessible to both your energy company and The National Grid. Particularly large plants or heavy fence panels are considered ‘obstructions’ against this accessibility.
Another reason to avoid planting anything in front of your meter box is to protect it. Even the most carefully attended plant could damage your meter box by attracting destructive wildlife like birds. It could also grow onto or around the box, causing damage.
If you want to change the look of your gas or electric meter box, you should focus on making sure the box itself looks its best instead.
What is the most popular colour for meter boxes?
When it comes to external colour choices, three come out as favourites for people in the UK: black, white and anthracite grey. This includes all external functional and decorative items like fascia, guttering, window frames and doors.
These colours are all popular as they’re neutrals. They’re unlikely to outlandishly clash with any other external paintwork on your home, and they won’t draw a second look for standing out. Our own meter boxes come in black and white as standard, and most people are more than happy with one of these.
If you would like a more unusual colour, you will often have to pick up a paintbrush yourself – even if you are buying a new meter box. But if you’re willing to do the work, you can have any colour meter box you choose.
What to consider when picking a colour for your meter box
When any colour is an option, the choice can be overwhelming. Would a bright, bold pop of colour be better or something sleek and subtle? With the work involved and the prominence of your meter box, this is one where just plumping for your favourite colour might not work out.
So if you’re struggling to decide which colour to paint your meter box, here are some things you can consider to make the choice a little easier.
The style of your home
Probably the most important consideration is the look of your home. If you live in a rustic country cottage, then a pillar box red meter box is likely to look jarring against carefully crafted stone. Meanwhile, a Victorian terrace with a sunshine yellow door might be able to carry off a statement meter box to match.
Modern homes may give you even more freedom. While some contemporary builds have a minimalist vibe that are best suited with an understated black meter box, others may be a lot more generic and benefit from an eye-catching colour to add personality to your exterior wall.
The age of your home
This is obviously related to the style of your home, but it is worth considering on its own as well. Older homes tend to have more classical features, and a bold splash of a primary colour might not sit as well as it would with a new build.
You should also consider the age of other homes in your area. If you have a single modern build among a sea of older homes, then sticking to a subtle black or white will help you blend into your surroundings a little better.
However, if your home is one among many on an estate of new builds, a pop of colour on your meter box can help your home feel more unique – a reflection of your own style.
Colour of your windows and doors
As we’ve mentioned already, your front door/back door and windows are key ‘design features’ when it comes to establishing the kerb appeal of your home.
Front doors in particular are a common way to bring colour and personality to your home. Seeing a ruby red or royal blue front door is not uncommon, particularly in Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian homes. Meanwhile, many cottages or rustic-looking homes will use a dusky blue or sage green to keep a traditional feel while still adding a spark of interest to their homes.
If you’re going to go for an unusual choice, then tying it to the colour of your front door to help it feel more cohesive. A coherent part of your home’s style instead of a random addition.
Windows tend to be more traditional grey, black or white, but with timber and aluminium windows, there is often the opportunity to be more adventurous. And if you have invested in coloured window frames, then sticking to a plain white or black meter box can actually make it stand out more than if you followed the existing colour scheme.
Other details of your home’s exterior
The windows and doors on your home are more likely to have standout colour choices, but if you’re struggling to pick a more subtle colour, then looking at details like your guttering or fascia can be a useful guide.
If your home has modern white gutters and fascias, this is usually a safe match for your meter box. These can also help guide you between a matte or gloss finish, as if all the other details outside your home are a sleek matte, then a glossy meter box can look jarring in comparison.
Upkeep
So far, we’ve discussed the look of your meter box as if it were a purely aesthetic choice. If you’re going for bright colour, then it will probably feel as if the way it looks is the only consideration.
But it is also important to think about the maintenance involved. While white is a very common colour for a meter box, it shows dirt. A lot. This means a white meter box will need frequent cleaning and will start to show its age quickly if it isn’t maintained properly. Other pastel or pale options might not be as extreme in showing up dirt, but they will need more care than a dark grey or black box will.
Ready to paint your meter box?
If this blog post helped you pick out which colour to paint your meter box, you’ve taken the first step but there are other things you need to know before you pick up a paint brush. Take a look at our post on how to paint a meter box to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing so you do the best job possible and end up with a box that adds an extra sparkle to your home’s kerb appeal.