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Oct 31, 2022 · As the home draws current from the power lines, small gears inside the meter turn arrows, and those arrows indicate power consumption. The following steps will help...
- Overview
- Analog Dial Meters
- Digital Meters
- Finding Your Current Usage
If your utility bill seems unusually high, you’re troubleshooting with your utility company, or you’re trying to figure out if your current monthly usage is going to break the bank, you may need to read your electrical meter. But what do all of those dials and strange numbers actually mean? In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to do to analyze your electrical meter.
For analog meters, each dial represents one digit. Always round down and note that the orientation of each individual dial changes.
On digital meters, the reading is displayed on the screen. Ignore any decimals or extra digits at the end.
Subtract your previous bill’s total kWh usage from the current reading you’ve taken to determine your current monthly usage.
Read the numbers from the left to the right.
Locate the 4 or 5 small dials on the face of your electrical meter. The dials are arranged with the biggest digit on the left and the smallest digit on the right, just like you’re reading a line in a book.
A lot of sources and energy companies will tell you to read the meters right to left, but frankly, that’s just complicating things unnecessarily.
You can either write down the numbers, or draw each dial on paper and analyze them indoors if it’s cold out.
Some meters have 4 dials, while others may have 5 dials. The number of dials doesn’t change this process at all.
Note, this process only applies to the dial meters—not the analog rotary meters with spinning numbers. The rotary meters are read like digital meters.
Write down the numbers from left to right.
Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Head outside and stand in front of your meter. Your meter’s reading is the large number displayed in the center of the screen. Write this number down going from left to right.
This process is identical for rotary meters as well, which don’t have dials or digital screens, but those rolls of numbers that rotate. They’re technically analog, but you read them like digital meters.
Ignore any extra numbers or decimal points.
Depending on the design of your meter, there may be decimals or extra digits on the side of the main reading. These digits are either rate settings or fractions of the reading, and they may be a different color or style. Don’t worry about these.
If they’re decimal points, they’re going to change by the time you do the math on your current bill anyway, and they’re insignificant enough that they probably don’t even show up on your bill anyway.
Grab your most recent electricity bill.
Find last month’s energy bill. Look for a line like “total reading” or “electrical meter reading.” This number should be slightly lower than the number you jotted down when you were reading your meter outside.
Your bill probably highlights the “monthly usage” since that’s what you’re paying for. The total usage or total reading might be listed in a smaller font or lower down on your bill.
Just as a reminder, your electrical meter never resets. If your previous month usage appears to be higher than the reading on your current meter, contact your utility company. Your meter is defective.
Subtract the previous bill’s total reading from the current reading.
Take your current reading and subtract the total from last month’s bill. This will give you your current electrical usage for the month.
- 2 min
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- Ricardo Mitchell
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Aug 12, 2018 · On most electricity smart meters, the screen will show your meter reading as standard. If you see a row of zeros, wait six to ten seconds for the screen to show your meter reading. On some meters, you may need to press the OK button or button A to show your reading. If your meter display shows 8888888 it's in test mode and is working.
Calculating Your Usage. To determine your energy usage, subtract your previous reading from your current reading. This will give you the number of kilowatt-hours (kWh) you’ve consumed during that period. Reading a Digital Meter. Identifying the Display.
May 1, 2023 · Look for your electric meter in these common places: Foundation: Electrical meters may sit near the foundation of the home or building where the main electrical wiring enters. Indoors: Some electrical power meters are inside the home, usually near your electrical circuit breaker box. Look in a utility room, a porch, a garage, or a basement.
Dec 7, 2020 · 1) Know how to read the dials. To start, practice reading the numbers on each dial. Every flat-rate meter is different, but you should see 4-6 dials on your meter. Every dial should be numbered from 0-9 and have a pointer. Look at each dial starting from left to right.
Dec 15, 2023 · Energy basics. How to read your electric meter. Direct Energy, December 15, 2023. 4 minute read. Meter readings help utility providers and suppliers discover how much energy your home is consuming, so they can accurately charge you for what your household uses. Without them, they would simply have to estimate.
