Knowing how to read your electric meter can be beneficial as it can help you identify discrepancies on your electric bill and keep better track of your monthly energy usage. When it comes to your electric meters, there are a few to choose from that include smart, electronic, digital and traditional dial meters. We at Simon Electric has a brief guide to help you learn the basics to reading your digital meter.
How to Read a Smart Electric Meter
The smart electric meter can be a bit confusing to read. Typically, to bring up your readings, you will need to press “9” on the smart meter keypad. You should notice the abbreviation “IMP KWH” followed by 8 numbers with “kWh” at the bottom of your screen. Holding down “6” on the keypad until you see “IMP RO1” and a series of eight numbers will manifest as long as your meter records day and night readings. For day readings, press and hold “6” again, you will then see “IMP R02” followed by another eight numbers. In order to find the readings listed right on the meter, be sure to consult your manual that will list the steps.
Reading a Dial Electric Meter
Dial meters can be difficult to read as your meter has numbers listed between 0 and 9 and each dial turns the opposite direction of the one that comes before it. These dials should be read left to right. If the arrow is in between two numbers, use the lower number, however, should the arrow be between the 9 and 0, use the 9 and then subtract one from the previous dial. The very last number on the right is not necessarily useful.
Digital Electricity Meter Reading
The digital electric meter features a series of numbers. Excluding any numbers in red or surrounded by a red box, copy the rest down from left to right. If you have two rows of numbers on your meter, a “day rate” and a “night rate”, copy the second row from left to right. They are usually listed on your electricity bill are indicated by two rows as well.
How to Check Electronic Electric Meter
In order to see the reading on your electric meter, you may need to press the display button first, unless it is equipped with an automatic scroll feature. Copy the numbers from left to right down but ignore the red numbers or numbers with a red background.
How to Calculate Electricity Bill from Meter Reading
Once you have the number recorded, pull out an electric bill from the previous month. Keep in mind that the meter will never reset to zero, so you will have to subtract the last month’s recorded numbers from the current reading. The number will be your total kWh usage for the month so far. Use this number to multiply the amount your electric company charges per kilowatt hour, be sure to add any fixed fees as well. This figure will be a fair estimate on the new bill, presuming its closer to the end of the month. Always double check your math, but if the there is a discrepancy, contact the electric company.
Electrical Wiring Inspections, Audits & More in Delray Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter & Boca Raton & Palm Beach County Florida
In addition to helping you project your bill’s total and managing the bills, you can also monitor your electric usage. If you feel the use is excessive, the certified experts of Simon Electric can help you find where you may be bleeding energy and help you conserve more. Call us to schedule an electrical inspection and audit today!
