How does the electric company read my meter?

How a Mechanical Analog Electric Meter Works. The disc turns a series of gears that move the five dials that record the electricity in kilowatt-hours. This mechanism is called an indicator. Your electrical consumption is read manually by a utility service person who visits the home to read the numbers on the dials.

Does my energy supplier have to read my meter?

By law, energy suppliers only have to read your meter once every two years. Some energy suppliers may visit more often, while others may request that you send them readings.

How do smart meters communicate with the supplier?

How do smart meters work? You won’t have to take any meter readings manually – your smart meter will send automatic readings to your energy supplier via the secure smart data network which is solely for smart meters. This works in a similar way as other wireless systems but does not use the internet.

How are smart meters read remotely?

Smart meters work by using a secure national communication network (called the DCC) to automatically and wirelessly send your actual energy usage to your supplier. Smart meters also come with an in-home display. This display gives you near real-time information about your consumption and how much it’s costing you.

How does the electric company know how much electric energy you use?

To measure the amount of electricity or gas that you use, the utility installs a meter between the incoming electric power or gas lines and the point of distribution at your house. The meter monitors your daily power or gas usage, and the utility will send out a meter reader to record your usage.

How often do utility companies have to read meters?

Frequency. For monthly billing purposes, meter readers come to your meter on or about the same day every month to record its current reading using a hand-held computer. They calculate your monthly usage by subtracting your previous month’s reading from the current one.

What mobile network do smart meters use?

Types of Smart Meter There are two main types of smart meters – the older models known as SMETS 1 (Smart Meter Equipment Technical Specifications) and the newer versions that were rolled out in 2018, known as SMETS 2. Most of these communicate with your supplier through the 2G/2.5G mobile network.

How do you read an electricity dial meter?

To read the meter write down the numbers shown left to right, for each reading. Write down the numbers shown left to right. Make sure you get both readings. An electricity dial meter has 5 or more dials. They each turn to point to a number between 0 and 9.

Why should I give my meter readings to my energy supplier?

Giving meter readings to your supplier ensure you pay for the correct amount of usage. Without them your supplier will estimate how much energy you’re using. Energy rates on the other hand are how much your supplier charges for each unit of energy that you use.

How do I get my electricity usage on a prepayment meter?

To get your electricity usage on a prepayment meter, press the blue button to cycle through the screens. Each screen is labelled with a letter. To find your meter reading you need to cycle to screen ‘H’. If you pay different rates for day and night then these will be on screen ‘H’ and ‘J’.

How do I take my meter readings from my smart meter?

The meter will no longer be able to automatically send meter readings to the supplier, but you will be able to manually take down meter readings from your smart meter! Press 9 on the keypad to see your reading. Your electricity reading will be followed by ‘kWh’ and your gas reading will be a number followed by ‘m3’.