Gas Meter

Your gas meter is an accurate automatic measuring instrument. It keeps track of how much gas flows through it by counting the filling and emptying of the compartments inside the meter. Since each compartment fills with just the same amount of gas every time, the measuring is very accurate. And because one compartment is emptied as another is being filled, the flow of gas to the various appliances is smooth and uninterrupted.

The part of a meter that shows the amount of gas used is called an index. In our system, there are two basic types of indexes.

If your meter has round dials (as shown below) and the pointer is between two numbers always record the lower number. The one exception is if the pointer is bewteen 9 & 0 (zero) you then read 9 because the zero then represents the completion of a cycle. When the pointer is directly on a number, check the dial to the right. If the dial to the right has not passed zero, record the lower number for the dial on the left. To obtain a reading, read the dials right to left, recording the numbers in the same order, right to left.

The correct reading for this meter is 1378. This means that 1378 hundred cubic feet (MCF) of gas has passed through the meter since all dials were on zero. Another way to write this amount is 137,800 cubic feet.

The other type of meter index you could see is called a direct read. An example is shown. This type index works much like an odometer on your car. To take a reading, all you have to do is read the number. Each of the numbers would correlate to one of the dials shown.

The set marked "half foot" and "two feet" are not used in the meter reading. These dials are only used for test purposes.

To determine how much gas has been used since the previous reading, simply subtract last month’s reading from the current reading. You’ll be better able to track your gas use, and you’ll be more aware of conserving energy. Please look on your utility bill to see what your billing period is so that you can read your meter on the same schedule.

Water Meter

The meter is read in 100's of gallons. If the meter reads 3692 this month, and the next month it reads 3755(00), the usage would be 63 on the bill (3755-3692=63). Read in gallons, it would be 6,300 gallons used during the month.

Electric Meter

If you have a meter like this (digital), just write down the numbers.

Your meter may look like this (dial).
Look! some of your hands turn right and some turn left. Write down the last number the hand passed.

If your new reading is 46372 and your last reading was 45109,
subtract:
  46372
- 45109
    1263 is the amount of kilowatthours you have used.

This is the way to read a meter. But there is one more thing. If a hand is right on a number and you don't know if it has passed or not, then do this. Look at the dail to the right. Has the hand passed 0?

If this dial on the right has passed 0, write down the number the hand on the left is pointing to. In this case "7".

If the dial on the right has not passed 0, write down the number the dial on the left has just passed. In this case "6".

Older Meter is Used For Electricity, Gas and Water

This older verison is currently being phased out.