How to Read an Electric Meter
Study the meter dials shown below. Read left to right across the dials and record the smaller of the two figures on either side of the pointer. Subtract the previous reading from the current reading to determine the number of kilowatt-hours (unit of electric current) used.
Example: Read the pointers on the meters below from left to right.
The reading is 66,649 kilowatt-hours
If a hand is directly on a number and you don’t know if the hand has passed or not, then do this. Look at the dial to the immediate right. Has the hand passed 0?
These dials are read as “70” since the hand on the right has passed “0”
If the dial on the immediate right has passed 0, write down the number the hand on the left is pointing to. In this case “7”. The reading of these two dials would then be “70”.
These dials are read as “69” since the hand on the right has not passed “0”
If the dial on the immediate right has not passed 0, write down the number the dial on the left has just passed. In this case “6”. The reading of these two dials would then be “69”.