User's Manual

©
Datamatic, Ltd. 2000-2008 page 10
Reading an Electric Meter
Following are some basic rules on how to read “clock style” electric meter indexes. Each of the four or five dials on the
meter represents one digit of the present reading. The dials move both clockwise and counter-clockwise. When the hand
of one of the dials is between numbers, always take the smaller number. For example:
Residential Electric meter example
4 6 3 7 2
This reading would be 46372. To tell if a hand is past a number or not, look at the dial to the right. If the dial to the
right has passed zero, then the hand is pointing to the correct number. If the dial to the right has not passed zero, then use
the next smaller number.
To practice, go outside a home or business and record the readings for several days in a row. By subtracting yesterday's
reading from today's reading, you can get a feel for how much energy (kilowatt hours for electric) is used each day.
When a power company representative reads a meter, they do not set it back to zero. Therefore, the dials keep turning
until the next time the meter is read. By subtracting two consecutive readings, the amount of consumption is determined
for the month. Utilities check to confirm that the readings each month fall within an expected range. If a reading is
significantly lower or higher than expected, the meter reader can be alerted and confirm the reading is correct. This helps
ensure bills are accurate each month.
This reading is 00000. Cyclometer (or odometer) style indexes
are easier to read and can be found on both electric meters.