How to Read Your Meter

Reading the utility meters helps you track utility consumption and better understand your bill. Most electric and gas meters have dial registers. Some water meters have dial registers; others have digital registers. The number of hands, or dials, on a residential meter varies from four to five, but all are read in the same manner.

Meters record consumption much like a car odometer records mileage. Each time a dial makes 10 revolutions, the dial to the left makes one revolution. The direction of the dials alternates from counterclockwise to clockwise.

If the hand of a dial points between two numbers, always record the smaller number. If the hand of a dial points directly at a number, always look at the dial to the right. If that hand has not yet passed 0, record the smaller number. If it has passed 0, record the higher number.

For example, in Figure 1, the dial on the left appears to be directly on the 7, but the dial on the right has not yet passed 0. The left dial will not actually reach the 7 until the right dial passes 9. Thus, together, the two dials are reading 69.

In Figure 2, the left dial is reading 4 because the right dial has passed 0. Together, they read 40.




Test yourself on the following examples of five-dial and four-dial electric meters.



Next: Gas and Water Meters