April 2005

How to Read Your Electric Meter

Some meters display in digits, much like your car.   Reading those is easy.

Other meters use dials.   They take just a little more effort to read correctly.   It's easy once you understand how they work.

The most important thing to notice is that each dial turns the opposite way.   No matter which direction the dial turns, always read the lowest number.

1. Read the dials from right to left, recording them in the same order.

2. If the pointer is between two numbers, record the lower of the two.

3. If the pointer is between 9 and 0, record the number as 9.   In this case, consider the 0 as 10.

4. If the pointer is between 0 and 1, record the number as 0.   In this case, consider the 0 as 0.

5. If the pointer is exactly on the number, look back to the dial on its right.   If the pointer on that dial has passed 0, record the number the pointer is on.   If the dial to the right has not passed 0, record the next lowest number.

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