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Reading Your Own Meter

Why learn how to read your meter?
You may want to learn how to read your meter for several reasons:

	It may be inaccessible to the meter reader: Normally, Hydro One reads your meter on a schedule. In some circumstances, our meter reader may not be able to access your meter. If you aren't home in these situations, the reader will leave you a phone number so that you can call in your reading.
	For more accurate billing: Your bill may be based on estimated electricity usage from past billing periods rather than an actual meter read. Depending on your service type, your meter is read on a monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
	For your own reference: You may want to track your meter readings to get a better idea of your usage and costs over the year.
	If you're concerned that your bill is too high: You may want to read your meter to confirm that the reading on your bill is accurate.

Submit Your Meter Reading Online

By registering with our Self-Service Web site, you can send Hydro One your exact meter reading(s) each month so that it's reflected on your next bill. You now have a longer window of opportunity to enter your reading(s) online, depending on your Bill Group and schedule. Simply log in to Self-Service, select "Submit Your Meter Reading" from the main menu and follow the on-screen instructions.

Types of meters
Your electricity meter records the amount of electricity used in your home or business. We have two types of electricity meters — models with 4 or 5 dials, and digital.

How to read your dial meter
Read the dials from right to left and write down the figures in the same order. Not all meters have 5 main dials, but if yours does, it records tens of thousands of kilowatt hours. (Don't worry about the very small dial. It's a test dial to verify the correct reading of dial #1 - you don't need to read it.)

 
A few points to remember
 Some of the pointers rotate clockwise, others counter-clockwise.
 When a dial pointer is between two numbers, read the smaller of the two.
 When the dial pointer rests almost squarely on the number, as it does on Dial #4, the dial to the immediate right will determine which number you record.
 On Dial #3, the pointer is between 9 and 0, indicating that it has not yet completed a full revolution. This means that the correct reading for Dial #4 is 8. (If the pointer on Dial #3 had gone past 0, indicating the completion of a full revolution, the reading for Dial #4 would have been 9.)
 Using the sample diagram as an example, read the dials from right to left. In this case, the first number to record is 5, the second is 2, the third is 9, and the fourth 8, for a total reading of 8,925.
 
The multiplier
 If your meter has four main dials, it records thousands of kilowatt hours. You'll see the words "mult x 10" on the face of your meter — that means when you calculate your usage, you multiply the reading by 10.
 If your meter has five main dials, it records tens of thousands of kilowatt hours, and you don't have to multiply.
 If your meter has a different multiplier, it will be noted on the meter.

How to read your digital meter
 

Reading a digital meter is easy. Simply read the meter like you would an odometer on a car — read the numbers from left to right. Note: Your kWh reading will be displayed for four seconds followed by a one second display of ‘88888’. This will be continuous.

One kilowatt hour — what that means One kilowatt hour (kWh) is 1,000 watts of electricity used in one hour. That's equivalent to the power required to light a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours, or to operate a standard 5,000 watt electric clothes dryer for approximately 12 minutes.

Your meter is reliable
Before installation, all electricity meters must meet strict accuracy requirements set by Measurement Canada. Once installed, meters are periodically checked by Hydro One Networks and government inspectors to ensure they continue to give accurate readings.

If you have questions or concerns regarding a high bill or the accuracy of your meter, please contact our Customer Communications Centre at 1-888-664-9376 and we can arrange for an inspection of your meter.

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