These dial readers are attached to every home and building that uses electricity.
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Each month the electric company sends out a meter reader to check how much electricity you've used in your home for that month. They do this by comparing the kilowatts used this month to the kilowatts used in the previous month. The difference is how much electricity you've used in your home. The reader records this number and electric company charges you for those kilowatts in your bill. You can read your own meter each month, if you prefer to keep track of how much you'll be billed.
Step 1
Go outside and examine your electric meter. It should be either a digital display or a glass dial reader with five dials inside of it. These dials resemble of clock faces, with an arrow that moves around the face in a circle according to electric use.
Step 2
Read each of the dials from left to right. Record which number the arrow is pointing to in each dial. If you aren't sure whether the arrow is pointing to a number before or after it, choose the number it's closest to. You can also look at the next dial to the right. If the arrow on that dial hasn't passed zero yet, then you would use the smaller number on the dial in question.
Step 3
Write down these numbers from left to right. You should end up with a five digit number.
Step 4
Subtract last month's meter reading from this new five digit number. For example, this month your meter reads, 75,000 kilowatts and last month your meter read 74,200 kilowatts. Last month's reading subtracted from this month's reading equals 800 kilowatts. This is how much electricity you have used this month.
Tips & Warnings
- Don't reset your meter. Let the numbers continue to run.
References
- First Energy Corporation: Who Will Read the Meter and Bill Me for the Electric?
- First Energy Corporation: How to Read Your Meter
- First Energy Corporation: How to Read Your Load Meter
Resources
- GLPS: How to Read Your Electric Meter
Photo Credits
- Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images