A Guide to Reading Electricity Meter Readings

A digital power consumption meter is a window into the electricity you have consumed. It is therefore important that you understand how to take the measurements accurately. It is much more important today in India because we are moving toward a more robust economy – one that is becoming digitally empowered. Learning to use the digital panel meters will help you understand how much power you are consuming and get an estimate of the bill you can expect from your supplier. This will help you decide whether you are with the right electricity supplier or not or if it is a good time to switch to a new one.

Learning to take the right readings will also ensure that you are not paying anything more than what you should pay. This guide will help you understand the digital meters in India and how to record the energy you are actually using. Comparing this estimate with the supplier’s bill will help you decide whether you are spending the right amount. The digital panel meters can be of two types: the prepayment meter is the type in which you pay a fixed amount every month. On the other hand, the standard type is the one in which you consumer electricity and receive a bill equivalent to the amount consumed at the end of the month or a quarter. This is determined by factors such if you had moved recently to a home or the past use.

In general, there are five different types of electric meters; taking a reading on each of them is different because each model displays the information in a different manner. Standard, digital, and dial meters are commonly known but some countries have also installed electric meters with special tariffs such as the prepayment electricity meters and the Economy 7. In this post, we will only look at the first three types of electricity meters.
Standard mechanical meters are quite common and have a mechanical display to show the readings. You must only take into account the five black numbers from left to right which are displayed ignoring any numbers in red.

Dial meters look like traditional clocks and are a little complicated to read. But you would notice that in the dial meters, the dials are moving in opposite directions. To read the numbers, you should read the numbers on the dials (again left to right); ignore the red dial or the dials in which there are no figures mentioned. While an accurate measurement is not possible, dial meters are good in offering a rough estimate of the electricity consumed over a period of time.

Digital meters are the easiest to read and get an accurate measure. Using the first five figures on the display while ignoring the last figure that begins with 0.1. You may have to press the button to get the digital display panel.
Once you have the reading, check the last electricity bill that you have received. A comparison between the two should help you know if you have been paying more than you should be. If you think your reading is wrong, get another reading or contact the supplier to check if there is anything wrong with your meter.


HPL Electric and Power Limited is a leading player in the electrical equipment industry in India. Choose from a wide range of its LED products that have been certified to conform to Indian and International standards such as ISI, CE, and KEMA.

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