A standard electric meter is a clock-like device that records the amount of electricity you consume. When your home draws electricity from power lines, a set of tiny gears moves inside the meter. The number of revolutions is recorded on the dials you see when you look at your meter. The speed of revolutions is determined by the amount of energy consumed.
The gas meter works by measuring the energy of the gas moving in the pipe. The dials rotate faster as the gas flow increases.
Although many people think that meter reading is complicated, it is actually very easy. There are two sorts of meters: digital and dial. To read a digital meter, read the meter yourself like a digital clock. Below is an example of a digital meter.
Reading your dial gauge is like reading a watch – you’ll see where the hand is showing on the dial.
When reading your dial meter, stand directly ahead of the meter to record the numbers. When the hand is directly over the number, look at the dial on the right. If the right hand dial crosses zero, write down the hand number of the dial in question. If the hand exceeds zero, use a lower number. If the needle falls between two numbers, use the smaller of the
Method 1 – Reading an analog meter
Electric meters are located on the outside of your home, between the power line coming from the pole and between your electrical panel inside. They record how much electricity you and your family use. It is important to understand how to read your electric meter to know how much electricity you are using. The electric meter is actually very easy to read, you just need to know what you are looking at.
Step -1
Understand the components of your analog meter (also known as a dial meter) and how it works. Your electric meter is usually between four and six dials, which is the central disc rotates. The disk spins by the electricity passing through the meter, giving a reading of how much power it is using.
This reading is given in kilowatt hours. One kilowatt hour equals the energy it takes to turn on a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours.
Your electric meter may have a variety of words and numbers printed on its face. While these are not important in determining your power consumption, they do give you information on the mechanical details of your meter.
step -2
Read the dials on your meter. Read them from left to right as if you were reading a book or a set of numbers. Starting from the left, write the numbers as you go. Once you have identified a number for each dial, you will have an electric meter reading.
Do not confuse the direction of the numbers on each dial. Some dials are counted clockwise and other dials counterclockwise.
See where the arrow shows. If the arrow shows between 2 numbers, the reading is a small number. If the arrow points directly to a number, check what the number is by pointing the dial to the right. If the arrow in that quadrant exceeds zero, the reading in the left quadrant is the number indicated by the arrow. If the arrow on the right dial is still not zero or more, the reading on the left dial is the previous number.
step-3
Learn how your power company reads the last dial. Some companies have the next highest number. Other companies enter the number closest to the arrow. If you are interested in calculating your kilowatt hours on your own and getting a close estimate of what the power company does, it would be beneficial to know how the company reads this final number.
Method – 2 Reading digital electric meter ?
Step -1
Understand the different parts of your meter. A digital electric meter electronically records the electricity your home uses. Therefore, a digital electric meter is much easier to read than a traditional meter because it has lower readings to decipher.
Unlike traditional analog electrical meters, most digital meters transmit their meter reading wirelessly to a power company via radio frequencies. This means that the meter reader will not come to your home to read your meter. If you prefer to keep your traditional meter, it is possible to avoid installing a new “smart” meter in some municipalities.
Step-2
Read the numbers on your meter. Your meter should have a digital reading that gives you a wide range of numbers. The exact setting on this reading varies by manufacturer and includes the reading.
If you can’t figure out how to read your meter on your own, contact your power company.
Your electric meter can show the meter’s power status and a few other numbers, including reference numbers from the electric company. Remember to pay attention only to large numbers of central chains when trying to determine their power consumption.
Step -3
Calculate the kilowatt hours you used. Digital electric meters do not reset after each reading. This means that to calculate the number of kilowatt hours that you used, you need to keep track of the series readings. Subtract the current reading from the last reading you billed to use the most recent kilowatt hours.