To read a smart electricity meter, follow these general steps:
- Look at the meter display screen. If it shows numbers followed by "kWh" or "KWH," these numbers represent your electricity usage.
- If your meter has buttons, use them to show the reading:
- For meters with one orange button, press the orange button once and read the numbers displayed on the screen (ignore leading zeros and any numbers after a decimal point).
- For meters with two white or blue buttons, press the button labeled "display," "display select," or similar until you see the screen with numbers followed by "kWh." Write down the numbers before any decimal point.
- For some meters, you may need to press "9" or another specific number on the keypad to access the reading screen.
- For dual-rate meters (such as economy 7), press the display button to scroll through the readings for different rates. Record each reading separately.
- For smart gas meters, press and hold the red button for a few seconds to display the reading in cubic meters (m3). Then press and release the button to cycle through screens to find the active reading. Take the number shown (usually first five digits).
- Always write down the numbers exactly as they appear before the decimal point, ignoring trailing decimals or zeros.
In summary, the main goal is to reach the screen on your smart meter that displays the current usage figures in kilowatt-hours (kWh) for electricity or cubic meters for gas and then read the digits from left to right, ignoring decimals or trailing zeros.
