Reading your meters
Learn how to read your:
How to read your electricty meter
Reading your meter can help you better understand your energy usage.
Choose a meter:
Analogue electricity meter
Meter using dials
One such analogue electricity meter uses five dials to give a reading.
- Starting from the left-most dial (10,000), record the numbers from left to right.
- When a dial hand points between numbers, record the lower number.
- The numbers recorded from the image above should be 3-4-9-4-6. This reading represents 34,946 kilowatt hours of electricity.
- o In the above example, the '1,000' dial appears to be indicating that the pointer is on the number 5, but the correct reading is the number 4.
- o This is because the '100' dial has not completed a full revolution. Once it does, the '1,000' dial fully moves to its next number.
Note
Not all dial meter displays look like the above example. In some meters, the placement of numbers in each dial runs in the opposite direction to the dials shown above.
'Odometer' type meter
Another kind of analogue electricity meter reads like an odometer in your car. Numbers are read from left to right.
The meter has five white digits that show the kilowatt hours of electricity that have been used.
The above image shows 92,992 kilowatt hours of electricity.
Electronic electricity meter
The electronic electricity meter is read using the display button to switch through a series of screens. All readings are recorded in an electronic memory, which does not switch off if power is lost.
ActewAGL uses many different styles of electronic meters. The following illustration and instructions pertain to a commo example of the electronic electricity meter.
To read the meter, press the display button. The first screen is the test pattern and shows a series of 8s. To read the other screens, press the display button to move onto the next one. Beside each reading a number will appear:
- 01 shows the time
- 03 shows the total main circuit kWh reading
- 07 shows the total off-peak reading
- 13-14 show 'on' and 'off' times for the first off-peak period
- 15-16 show 'on' and 'off' times for the second off-peak period
- 18 shows the serial number of the meter
Note
Not all electronic electricity meters look like the illustration above. For example, the latest meters installed display the kilowatt hours used in three separate registers.
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How to read your water meter
Reading your meter can help you better understand your water usage.
ActewAGL encourages householders to read their meter at regular intervals to monitor water usage.
As meters age they often slow down. By reading your meter over time you may be able to spot a change.
When ActewAGL install a new and more accurate meter, we recommend you read the meter each month. This way you will not be surprised by a higher than usual water account.
Meters installed after 2000 have a number of dials for operational purposes.
The row of black numbers show the kilolitres of water used by your home. The row of red numbers on barrel meters show the litres.
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How to read your gas meter
The numbers on the dial represent the total amount of gas that has passed through the meter in cubic metres.
You need to deduct the previous reading from this figure to calculate the amount of gas consumed during the period.
This consumption figure can then be converted to energy usage (in mega joules or MJ) by multiplying by the conversion factor that is on the bill. The conversion factor
refers to the amount of energy (in mega joules) per cubic metre of gas.
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Request for meter reading
If you would like to question the accuracy of your meter reading, simply fill in the online form and submit your request.
An ActewAGL representative will attend your property and reread your meter. Ensure there is easy access to the meter. You will be informed of the outcome within a few days.