How to read your electric meter (dial, digital or smart)

Match the meter number on your bill with the number on its face. FirstEnergy says the bill’s meter number shows which meter serves your home.^⁠[6] If you can’t confirm the match, ask your utility before writing down a reading.

FirstEnergy says apartment meters may be grouped together. If they aren’t labeled, ask your apartment manager or landlord which meter serves your home.^⁠[7] A row of meters isn’t a reason to test circuits or investigate wiring.

If you see damage, stay clear and contact your utility. Upper Peninsula Power Company’s guidance says to call 911 for fire, active sparking or an immediate threat to life or property.^⁠[2] Don’t approach to get a reading or photograph.

• For the bigger picture, read about how electricity reaches your home.
• If the building’s setup is unclear, see how your apartment’s electricity is metered. A master meter measures the building as a whole, rather than individual homes.^⁠[8]

Use the visible face to choose a reading path, then check the utility’s model guide. A digital screen alone doesn’t prove the meter is smart. Salt River Project (SRP) describes digital screens on standard meters and automatic radio reporting on smart meters.^⁠[9]

Meter reading is one part of how electricity works. The useful next question is which number your utility’s guide tells you to record.

Write down the digit each pointer has passed, rather than rounding to the nearest number. Con Edison says to choose the lower number between digits, with one exception: between 9 and 0, record 9.^⁠[11]

1. Follow the printed scales

   National Grid’s adjacent dials alternate clockwise and counterclockwise. Record the final digits from left to right, keeping each in its original position.^⁠[10]

2. Resolve a pointer between numbers

   Use Con Edison’s lower-number rule, keeping the 9-to-0 exception. A pointer between 9 and 0 records 9, even when it looks closer to 0.^⁠[11]

3. Check an exact-looking pointer

   FirstEnergy says to use that number only if the dial immediately to its right has passed 0. Otherwise, use the preceding number.^⁠[3] For the far-right dial, Con Edison records the number when its pointer is directly on it.^⁠[11]

National Grid shows a dial example that reads 3597.^⁠[10] Treat that as a teaching example, rather than a target for your home. Use the picture in your utility’s guide to check the dials on your meter.

Copy the usage display as your utility’s guide shows. Con Edison says to enter the numbers exactly as they appear.^⁠[11] Don’t drop zeros or digits after a decimal point without checking the guide.

• Keep the digits in order

  National Grid’s digital example displays 00408, representing 408 kilowatt-hours (kWh), the unit of electricity use.^⁠[10] This is a sample total, not monthly use.

• Confirm the model

  FirstEnergy advises against reading its Electronic Load Meter yourself.^⁠[3] Ask your utility whether you can read that model yourself.

Special meters need a separate check before you submit anything. PSEG Long Island’s FAQ says its described meter records use by time period and must be read by its meter reader.^⁠[4] Follow the guide for your meter and plan, rather than another utility’s digital example.

Watch the screen cycle and find the usage register, or stored total, in your utility’s guide. SCE describes an automatic cycle, with total use on its 001 screen.^⁠[1] You don’t need to press a button to read it.

Use the running kWh total in your utility’s guide, rather than a kilowatt (kW) demand reading or a date/time screen. National Grid Massachusetts shows its total, the date and the time on their own screens. We Energies lists total kWh use, maximum kW demand, date and time on their own screens.^⁠[10,12]

Check your utility’s guide for the meter model and plan you have.

Those labels apply to different meters. Florida Power & Light’s solar NET display shows delivered electricity minus excess electricity sent back to the grid.^⁠[5] For NET, export (electricity sent back) or separate time-period totals, ask the utility which reading applies before calculating use.

Subtract the earlier reading from the later one on the same running kWh usage total. SCE compares that running total to a car’s odometer.^⁠[1] Keep the meter, register and units the same for both readings.

The sample’s 12,800 kWh is the running reading; 460 kWh is the difference between readings. This example assumes a plain usage register without a multiplier, a number applied to the reading. LADWP’s demand-meter example requires a meter constant, so don’t assume that subtraction alone fits every meter.^⁠[13]

Your bill may be an estimate when the utility can’t get a reading. Consumers Energy lists access problems and equipment or system issues as reasons.^⁠[14] An estimate alone doesn’t tell you which happened at your home.

1. Check the bill’s reading date and message

   Consumers Energy says its bill includes a message when usage is estimated.^⁠[14] Find the meter readings and dates on your bill before comparing them with a reading taken today.

2. Ask which submission process applies

   Check whether your utility accepts self-reads, its submission window and the ID it needs. Con Edison accepts a readable meter photo and asks for the account number in the email body.^⁠[11] Use its official private submission channel.

3. Ask what happens to a reading received now

   Consumers Energy describes this case: you know in advance your meter isn’t reporting remotely, but it still shows a digital reading. The utility can update the bill if your report arrives in time.^⁠[14] FirstEnergy says a reading outside its stated window leads to proration, an adjustment for the timing.^⁠[3]

If you can’t safely read or photograph the meter, ask the utility for help. A photo isn’t a reason to approach damaged equipment or open a cabinet.^⁠[2] Let the utility confirm whether your reading can be used for the bill’s period.

Want to follow your energy use between meter readings? With Public Grid, you can track your usage and spending. See how your energy use changes over time and spot opportunities to cut back.^⁠[15] You can connect your electricity account to get started.

Electricity accountvia Utility Co.

Sample account

UsageTracked

BillsTracked