How to read your electricity meter

If you have a basic meter and receive a bill based on an estimated read, you may be eligible to send us your own reading. Once received, we’ll review your reading and let you know the outcome. For guidance on estimated bills, or to submit a self meter read, visit our FAQ article here.

Please note that if you have a smart meter, we aren’t able to accept a self-read as these meters are read remotely by the network.

Step 1: Find your meter

• Most standalone houses have a meter fixed outside to an external wall. Sometimes, the meter might also be in a hallway inside the property, or in the garage.
• If you live in an apartment, your meter may be in a meter room, which you may need to request access for from building management or your property manager. The meter will have your apartment or unit number written on the face. Your distributor will still be able to access this room to read the meter every three months.
• Make sure your meter serial number matches with the number on Page 3 of your Amber bill. For guidance on reading your electricity bill, visit our article here.

Step 2: Check for safe access to your meter

If your meter is clearly accessible, be sure to check for other safety concerns like spiders, exposed wiring or damaged meter equipment.

If your meter is behind a locked box or is otherwise not accessible, or if there are any safety concerns, please let us know by getting in touch so that we can walk you through the next steps.

If your meter is unsafe, do not touch the meter box or the meter itself.

Step 3: Read your meter

Your electricity meter might look different depending on the make and model. There are a few different types of basic electricity meter faces, which will change how you take a reading.

• Some basic electricity meters have digital displays; these are still basic meters as they can’t be read remotely and don’t measure your usage in different time periods throughout the day.
• Other meters have odometer displays where the reading ticks over.
• Older basic electricity meters may have clock displays with five to six dials. These are read the same as a clock, with the meter reading starting with the first number from the face on the far left, to the last number using the face on the far right.

Meters with digital displays

Digital displays may have a single display that shows the meter reading, or they may cycle through different displays depending on how the meter is configured.

To read these meters, simply note down the number on the screen. If you have multiple displays showing different readings for different meter registers, toggle through the screens or wait for the screens to automatically toggle and note each one.

The reading for the below meter is 0010791.

Meters with odometer displays

These meters are read similarly to digital displays – simply note the reading from left to right, including any zeros. If a number is ticking between two numbers, note the lower number. For example, if a number is between a 3 and a 4, record 3. The only exception is when a number is between 9 and 0, note 9 – this is because the numbers cycle from 1 to 9 and then 0.

If there are any numbers on the right in red, please ignore them and only record the numbers in white before a decimal point.

The reading for the below meter is 13858.

Meters with clock displays

Clock displays are read from the farthest face on the left to the one on the right. Similar to meters with odometer displays, if a hand is pointing between two numbers, record the lowest of the two. If a hand is between 9 and 0, note 9 – this is because the numbers cycle from 1 to 9 and then 0.

Note that with each face, the dials alternate in direction from clockwise to anti-clockwise.

If a hand is directly on a number, check the dial to the right. If this number hasn’t passed 0, then the original dial hasn’t passed the number yet. In this case, note down the lowest number.

The reading for the below meter is 98595.