on 24th August 2023

Guide to reading your electric meter

There are different types of electric meters and each has a different way of being read.

Please see our guide below for more information.

Single rate meter

This meter reads 47479.

To read a single rate meter, you will read five numbers from left to right and ignore the last numbers which may be in red.

Two rate meter

This meter reads 63013, 00003.

The two rate meter, looks like the single rate meter but has two rows of numbers, usually one above the other.

To read a two rate meter, you will read the numbers from left to right and ignore any numbers in red.

Two rate, single display meter

A two rate, single display meter, will have one digital display but will have two readings. The two readings will either show up in a cycle or you may need to press a button to launch the cycle for both readings. These will be read in the same way as the two rate meter above.

Dial meter

This meter reads 79341.

To read a dial meter, you will read the five dials along from left to right.

Write the number down that is nearest to the needle.

If the needle is directly in between two numbers, write down the number that is lowest on the dial.

Each dial may turn in the opposite direction to the former, so you will need to check which way each one turns.