It's easy to take a quick and accurate reading of your meters. Most meters have either four or five dials with pointers.
- Always begin with the dial on the far right.
- Record the lowest number the pointer has passed, even if the pointer has almost reached the next number.
- Follow the same procedure for each dial. Note that as you move from right to left, each dial rotates in the direction opposite the one before it. If the first dial rotates clockwise, the next will rotate counterclockwise, the third clockwise, and so on.
- The four- or five-digit number that you record is all we need to measure your energy use for the month.
In our example, the correct reading is 85900. The pointer on dial A moving clockwise has passed 0. The pointer moving counterclockwise on dial B has passed 0. The pointer on dial C has just passed 9. Dial D is 5 and E is 8. Record the numbers in reverse order, so the reading is 85900. Remember, you can always tell if a pointer has passed a number by looking at the dial immediately to the right of it. If the pointer on that dial has passed 0 on the top, the pointer on the dial to its left has passed the number that it is closest to.
Note: If your meter has a digital readout, simply record this number.
