A lot of sources and energy companies will tell you to read the meters right to left, but frankly, that’s just complicating things unnecessarily. [2] X Research source You can either write down the numbers, or draw each dial on paper and then do this indoors. There are meters with 4 dials or 5 dials on them. The number of dials doesn’t change this process at all.
You may even be able to see the little dials moving in the direction they’re meant to travel if you’re currently using a lot of juice. Some meters will even have little arrows on top of each dial displaying which direction they go.
Remember! We’re rounding down by number, not direction here—for the counterclockwise dials, the lower number will be to the left, not the right. The one exception is if the dial is between a 9 and 0 on a clockwise-oriented dial. Here, the 0 actually represents “10,” so rounding down is the 9.
For example, if the pointer on a dial rests perfectly on a 4 but the dial to the right of it sits clearly at 0, then treat the digit as a 3.
So, if the meter reads 4982, your home has consumed 4,982 kWh up to this point. Keep in mind, your meter never actually resets. So, if you’re shocked by the number, just remember that it only goes up. A 10-year-old electrical meter is probably going to have a bigger reading than a 3-year-old meter, for example. [6] X Research source
This process is identical for rotary meters as well, which don’t have dials or digital screens, but those rolls of numbers that rotate.
If they’re decimal points, they’re going to change by the time you do the math on your current bill anyway, and they’re insignificant enough that they probably don’t even show up on your bill anyway.
Some utility companies will charge more for energy usage during peak hours as an effort to incentivize consumers to take it easy when the grid is under a lot of pressure. This is common in dense areas, like New York City or Chicago.
Your bill probably highlights the “monthly usage” since that’s what you’re paying for. The total usage or total reading might be listed in a smaller font or lower down on your bill. Just as a reminder, your electrical meter never resets. If your previous month usage appears to be higher than the reading on your current meter, contact your utility company. Your meter is defective.
For example, if your meter currently reads 4,392 and last month’s bill’s total usage is 4,302, your current monthly usage is 90 kWh.
You may also need to check your current meter when you’re on the phone with your utility company to confirm that they’ve got the right meter.
