How do I read my electricity meter?

You can monitor how much electricity you’re using

We use electricity for a lot of things at home, from cooking dinner, to watching television, to using hot water for a shower, to charging our phones. We would struggle to get by without it, but how do you know how much you’re using?

All homes have an electricity meter, which measures exactly how much electricity you use. Most homes have a digital smart meter, which record your power use and automatically send this to your power company so they can bill you for the exact amount of electricity you use. There are a few homes that have older analogue meters which require a manual read to assess usage.

How do I find out what type of meter I have and where can I find it?

Your electricity meter is usually in a small cabinet, which can often be found at the front or on the side of the house. Sometimes the cabinet is inside your house, particularly in newer homes. Apartments and townhouses often have shared meters, which will have a row of meters together with your unit number on yours. These cabinets should be easy to open so you can easily see your electricity reading.

Smart meters display your energy use as a digital screen, like on a calculator. Analog meters have physical dials that display numbers. Analog meters may look older, but they can still record your electricity use accurately.

Your power company is responsible for ensuring you have a working meter, and they may sometimes need to replace or fix the meter at your property. In most cases, the meter itself is owned by a metering equipment company (separate to your power company) so they will be responsible for upgrades and maintenance.

It is important that metering providers can get access to your meter, particularly if you have an analogue meter and they need to take a physical reading. If a physical reading is not possible, it will appear as an ‘estimate’ on your bill. This is useful to know as you may be able to provide an actual reading for the power company so you can be billed accurately.

How do I read an electricity meter? What do the numbers mean?

The number displayed on your electricity meter which measures your usage is shown in kilowatt-hours, or kWh. This is the standard way to measure how much electricity households use.

The number on your electricity meter doesn’t ever reset or start again. That means the number might look really high, but that’s only because the reading is the total number of kWh that the household has used since the meter was installed. But don’t worry, you’re only billed for the amount electricity you use in that billing period.

Health and safety is an important consideration when reading the meter. Do not interfere or tamper with the meter. Get in touch with your power company if something does not look right.

Can I trust my electricity meter and power company to bill me fairly?

Yes, but it pays to know how to read your meter in case something looks wrong on your bill. All meters have been tested and certified, and power companies must bill you in line with your agreed power plan.

Checking your own meter readings will help you understand that you are being billed fairly. You can do this by taking note of the number on your electricity meter and comparing this with your power bill. Your bill should state what your ‘previous’ reading was at the start of the billing period, and the ‘current reading’ at the end of the billing period, and these numbers should match the number on your electricity meter on those dates.

Visit our understanding your power bill page to learn more about what information is on your bill.

You can also talk to your power company about your electricity meter if you have any concerns or need help to read it. Most power companies have useful guidance on their websites as well as the details and options for how to contact your power company. Power companies must make it easy for you to contact them, including their support and wellbeing teams, and most power companies have 0800 numbers, emails or online chat channels you can access for free.