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The utility
department uses meters to record the exact consumption of resources
used each month by every customer. If you live inside the city limits,
you may have up to three meters. One for electricity, one for water
and if you are a natural gas customer, you will have one for that
as well. There is no meter for sewer usage. You may, however, figure
your wastewater disposal charges here with this Wastewater
Bill Estimator.
If you're like most people, you seldom pay any attention to any
of your utility meters. Meters perform their jobs so accurately,
so quietly, and so reliably that you should never have to think
about them. But just in case you'd like to know how to read your
meter, we've provided instructions below for reading all three.
Once you know how to read your meter, you can figure out
how much of each resource you have used since your last meter reading.
Simply subtract the reading on last months bill from the current
reading and that is your current consumption. You then may use the
bill calculators to estimate what your bill would be at this point
in time. Use caution in watching for spiders,
wasps and other harmful insects that may be on or around your meters.
Please
note that federal law prohibits tampering with, adjusting or disabling
any of your meters.
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The first step is to locate your meter which is usually enclosed
in a concrete or plastic box outside of your home, somewhere
near the street.
Remove
or raise the cover carefully to avoid injury or damage. Be
careful to watch for insects, particularly spiders.
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There
are two basic kinds of water meters - those with an odometer
(above) and those with multiple dials. The odometer type
of water meter reads exactly like the mileage indicator
on your car. Disregard any needle since this is used only
for testing purposes.
The
multiple dial type of water meter has small dials in a circle,
each marked off in ten divisions.
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Each
dial reads like the hour hand on a clock. Note that every
other hand turns counter-clockwise. To read the meter, start
with the highest dial, in this case marked 100,000, and
continue reading around to the lowest dial.
If a dial pointer isn't centered exactly on a number or
is located between two numbers, read the lower number. The
dial in the above example reads 987498, and in this case,
it is gallons. That is the total number of gallons that
have flowed through the meter since it was new. To figure
your current usage, subtract the number on your previous
bill from the number you just read and that will give you
your current usage.
(Remember
to close the lid and replace the cover securely when you
are finished).
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Your electric meter will normally be mounted to the side of
your house or possibly on a utility pole very close to your
house.
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Like
the water meter, there are basically two types of meters.
Meters with dials and meters with an odometer. Meters with
dials may have 4 or 5 dials (see diagram below). The hands
on the dials move in opposite directions from the one next
to it. You can tell this by the way the numbers go. They
always count up.
To
read the meter, just write down the number the pointer has
passed. Start with the dial on the far left and proceed
to the right. If a hand is directly on a number, look at
the dial on it's right. If that hand is past zero, write
down the number the left hand is pointing to. If the hand
on the right is not past the zero, then you would use the
previous number to the one the left hand is pointing to.
The
example below reads 65,372 kilowatt hours.
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If you are a natural gas customer, you'll find a gas meter
outside your home.
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Similar
to your other meters, there are two basic types. The odometer
(above) and the dial type (see below). To read a dial gas
meter, start with the dial on the left and move right, the
same as the water and electric meters. Record the readings
in the same manner, from left to right. When an indicator
is between numbers, record the smaller number. Keep in mind
that some dials read clockwise, while others read counterclockwise.
Refer to the arrows on the illustrations below for help.
You can take several readings over time to monitor your
usage.
The
readings in the below example indicate 436.1 thousand cubic
feet. This is the reading from the time the meter was new.
To figure your current usage, subtract the reading shown
on your previous bill with the current reading. The difference
is your current usage. You may use the Gas Bill Calculator
to estimate your charges up to this time.
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