Your power meter is an important part of your electrial service. It keeps track of how much power is used in your home or business each month. Knowing how to read your meter can be of great advantage to you.

Two types of meter are commonly in use today, digital meters and dial meters. Of the two, dial meters are the more common. The vast majority of homes should have a dial meter, while only a few homes will actually have a digital meter. But, with a little practice, both are quite simple to read.

• To read your digital meter, simply read the numbers left to right - It appears as a normal number. However, reading the dial meter is a bit more tricky.

• Reading your dial meter is similar to reading a clock - if you can read one, you can read the other. There are, however, a few small differences. Dials 1, 3, and 5 are read clockwise, while 2 and 4 are read counterclockwise.

Take a look at the following example:

If you got "63491" then you successfully read the meter! With a little practice you will soon be able to keep track of your home's electrical consumption on your own!