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How to Read Residential Meters

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licensed in Michigan & Indiana

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How to Read Residential Electric and Natural Gas Meters

You can read your own meters to help monitor your electric or gas energy use. During the heating season, your energy use should be compared to the number of heating degree days for the same time period; during the cooling season, compare your energy use to the number of cooling degree days.

Heating and cooling degree days are a simple measure of the effect of weather on your energy needs: using the average temperature for each day, each degree Fahrenheit below 65°F is counted as one heating degree day, and each degree Fahrenheit above 65°F is counted as one cooling degree day. Your heating and cooling use should be proportional to the number of heating and cooling degree days for the time period in question.

You may also wish to contact your local utility companies for more information about reading your meter. If monthly information is good enough, your utility bills could have all the information you need. Just be sure the bills are based on actual, not estimated, meter readings, and be aware of when the meter was read, because the time period between readings can vary. Contact your local utility if you are uncertain about this.

Electric Meters

The basic unit of measure of electric power is the watt. One thousand watts are called a kilowatt. If you use one thousand watts of power in one hour you have used a kilowatt-hour (kWh). Your electric utility bills you by the kWh.

The standard electric power meter is a clock-like device driven by the electricity moving through it. As the home draws current from the power lines, a set of small gears inside the meter move. The number of revolutions is recorded by the dials that you can see on the face of the meter. The speed of the revolutions depends on the amount of current drawn -- the more power consumed at any one instant, the faster the gears will rotate.

When reading an electric meter, read and write down the numbers as shown on the dials from right to left. When the pointer is directly on a number, look at the dial to the right. If it has passed zero, use the next higher number. If it has not passed zero, use the lower number. Record the numbers shown by writing down the value of the dial to your extreme right first and the rest as you come to them. Should the hand of a dial fall between two numbers, use the smaller of the two numbers.

Natural Gas Meters

Natural gas is commonly measured by the cubic foot, and you are billed by the thousands of cubic feet (MCF) or hundreds of cubic feet (CCF). You may also be billed by the therm, which is about the same as a CCF or 100 cubic feet. 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 the house.

A gas meter is driven by the force of the moving gas in the pipe, and also turns faster as the flow increases. Each time the dial with the lower value makes one complete revolution, the pointer on the next higher value dial moves ahead one digit.

When reading a gas meter, read and write down the numbers as shown on the dials from left to right (opposite of an electric meter). It is important to note that on both types of meters, the hands of adjacent dials turn in opposite directions to each other.

Digital Meters

Note that some newer electric and gas meters use digital displays instead of dials. The difference between one month's reading and the next is the amount of energy units that have been used for that billing period.


U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
 
 
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Address:  1465 East Main Street
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
 
 
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We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
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For the best Furnace replacement in Benton Harbor MI, choose a BBB rated company.
See what your neighbors think about our Boiler service in Stevensville MI on Google Reviews.
For your Furnace repair in St. Joseph MI, trust a NATE certified contractor.
For Boiler replacement in St. Joseph MI, opt for an ACCA member.
2021 Readers Choice Winner
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
 
Business Hours
Business Hours
 
Monday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Tuesday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Wednesday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Thursday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Friday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Sat-Sun: Appts. via email
Monday - Friday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Saturday - Sunday: Appts. via email
Payment Options
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
 
For the best Furnace replacement in Benton Harbor MI, choose a BBB rated company.
See what your neighbors think about our Boiler service in Stevensville MI on Google Reviews.
For your Furnace repair in St. Joseph MI, trust a NATE certified contractor.
For Boiler replacement in St. Joseph MI, opt for an ACCA member.
2021 Readers Choice Winner
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
 
 
We specialize in Rinnai tankless water heater installation in St. Joseph MI.
ADAMS & Son, Inc. HVAC Mechanical works with Bryant Furnace products in Benton Harbor MI.
 
Contact Info
 
Address:  1465 East Main Street
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
 
 
Schedule an Appointment
Like us on Facebook for more info on Furnace repair  in St. Joseph MI Browse our gallery of Boiler repair images on Instagram
Payment Options
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
 
For the best Furnace replacement in Benton Harbor MI, choose a BBB rated company.
See what your neighbors think about our Boiler service in Stevensville MI on Google Reviews.
For your Furnace repair in St. Joseph MI, trust a NATE certified contractor.
For Boiler replacement in St. Joseph MI, opt for an ACCA member.
2021 Readers Choice Winner
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
 
Business Hours
Business Hours
 
Monday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Tuesday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Wednesday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Thursday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Friday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Sat-Sun: Appts. via email
Monday - Friday:  8:00am - 4:30pm
Saturday - Sunday: Appts. via email
Payment Options
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
 
For the best Furnace replacement in Benton Harbor MI, choose a BBB rated company.
See what your neighbors think about our Boiler service in Stevensville MI on Google Reviews.
For your Furnace repair in St. Joseph MI, trust a NATE certified contractor.
For Boiler replacement in St. Joseph MI, opt for an ACCA member.
2021 Readers Choice Winner
 
We accept check for Boiler repair service provided in Stevensville MI.
We accept cash for Water Heater repair service provided in Benton Harbor MI.
For Furnace in St. Joseph MI, we accept most major credit cards.
 
 
We specialize in Rinnai tankless water heater installation in St. Joseph MI.
ADAMS & Son, Inc. HVAC Mechanical works with Bryant Furnace products in Benton Harbor MI.
 
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