Read your Analog Meter

Read your Analog Meter

Information on how to read your BC Hydro analog/analogue meter so you can be billed accurately instead of by a BC Hydro “Estimate”.

EMPOWERMENT BEGINS AT HOME

Learn To Read and Take Legible Pictures Of Your Analogue Meter NOW. 

As of January 2013 meter readers for at least one northern Gulf Island and elsewhere have been let go/fired.

Most readers are temporary Casuals for many areas who will also be let go, in many cases, at the end of March, 2013. 

There have been multiple reports of outrageous inaccurate bills coming in for analogue meter hold outs. Here is the antidote to that potential problem. 

What To Do On The Last Day Of Your Billing Period 

(which is also the same day that meter readers have read your meter – until now).

Take a clear legible photo of your analogue meter, preferably with a dated newspaper held in the corner of the photo to prove the date.

Check your BC Hydro bill to find out the last day of your billing period, which is also the same day that you MUST take a picture of your meter and immediately mail it to BC Hydro first thing on that day.

As has recently been reported elsewhere for those with analogue meters, BC Hydro may use the excuse of firing their meter readers to send those with analogue meters an enormously inflated bill which does not reflect actual usage patterns at all. 

Again, as has occurred elsewhere, BC Hydro will then be in a position to threaten to cut off your power if this large bill is not paid in full.

Bear in mind, BC Hydro can cut power for money owning, and that BC Hydro does cut power off for as little as $40 owing, and after almost no waiting time at all.

Take a photo of your meter on the correct day as proof and then send it to BC Hydro immediately. 

Send it to the following e-mail. 

customer.service@bchydro.com

Don’t forget to attach the photo to the e-mail you send to the above address, 

Leave yourself a note.

Be prepared to record your meter for BC Hydro that same morning, on your usual meter reading day, the day on your last bill. 

Send promptly to the department for payments e-mail address above. 

Some e-mail programs allow you to select a feature called “READ RECEIPT”.

This proves that BC Hydro received your e-mail.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THIS OPTION (for example, Apple discontinued this READ RECEIPT feature): 

You could always download Thunderbird e-mail as it has this feature. 

Be prepared in advance. 

(Warning: If you use the Thunderbird program make sure the READ RECEIPT feature is shut off EXCEPT when you use it to send your analogue meter picture to BC Hydro).

This procedure will ensure that you have proof that BC Hydro received your photo of your meter and your usage.

And Just For Good Measure, Here Is How to Read Your Analogue Power Meter

http://www.glps.net/meterread.htm

Interactive Meter Tool

Your electric meter measures your use of electricity in units called kilowatt-hours or kWh. One kWh is 1,000 watts used for one hour; the equivalent of ten 100-watt bulbs left on for one hour.

You can read your own meter to make periodic checks on how much electricity you’ve used. If you just want a quick read out from your meter, use the interactive meter below.

The meter has four or five dials with the numbers 0 to 9. The pointers rotate in different directions. Read the dials from the left, using the number the dial pointer just passed. 

When the pointer is between 0 and 9, the 0 stands for 10 and the reading would be 9. If the pointer is directly on a number, look to the dial to the right. If that pointer has not reached the 0, read the original dial at the lower number. If it has, read the original dial at the higher number.

The meter diagram reads 50497 for a 5 dial meter or 0497 for a 4 dial meter.

Meter Diagram

Subtract the reading taken on an earlier date — or the reading on your latest bill — from the current reading to get the number of kWh you’ve used since that earlier reading. 

To practice doing readings, use the Interactive Meter below.

http://www.delmarva.com/home/requests/meter/

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Keep Your Analog Meter and Tell BC Hydro You Will Phone in Your Own Readings Once/Month to BC Hydro
or
You Will Take A Digital Photo (with date and time) and Send it to BC Hydro via Canada Post/e-mail

This is nothing new, lots of people have been doing this for years. Plus, BC Hydro sends out many “estimated bills”. Your readings will not be estimates.

Here are instructions from BC Hydro.

BC Hydro How to Read Your Old Meter (Analog):

- https://www.bchydro.com/youraccount/content/how_to_read_your_meter.jsp
(this link doesn’t seem to work/exist any more)

How to Read Your Old Meter

This page provides information on how to read your old electric meter. However, many BC customers now have a new smart meter, and BC Hydro will be finished installing the new meters in homes and businesses across B.C. by the end of 2012.

How to read your new smart meter [Not Required, Thank-you!]

How to read your old meter

Your electric meter is usually located on the outside of your home, about five feet off the ground. Many old meters have four or five small dials that record your electricity consumption.
[To help identify whether you have an old meter or a new, digital smart meter, see this comparison page.]
– http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?page_id=338 (digital meter & smart meters)
– http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?page_id=585 (analog meters @ bottom of page)

With the old meter, adjacent dials turn in opposite directions some turn clockwise and others turn counter-clockwise. As electricity is used in the home, a disk in the meter revolves.This disk moves the hands on the dial, just as a car’s odometer records mileage

Since the hands on the dials are moving, and the right-hand one the fastest, the dials are read and recorded from right to left, in order to obtain the most accurate reading. When the hand is between two numbers on the dial, the lower number is recorded. The only exception is when the hand is between the numbers 9 and 0. In this case, think of the 0 as equal to 10, 9 is the number you record because it is actually the lower number.

Here are examples of two electric meter readings.

Present reading is 54272:
Previous reading is 53749:

To calculate your electrical consumption or find the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity used in a given period, subtract the previous reading from the present reading.
Present reading 54272
Previous reading – 53749
kWh of electricity used 523

For some meters, the actual amount of energy that customers use is too large to be registered and the meter displays a fraction of the actual use. A multiplier is then applied to the difference between your present and previous readings to determine your actual energy use. If you have a meter multiplier, you’ll find a sticker on the front of your glass meter case.

Request For Meter Reading from BC Hydro:
– www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/appcontent/your_account/Request_For_Meter_Reading.Par.0001.File.services2159.pdf

Request For Meter Reading BC Hydro

Account number ___________________________________

Service address ____________________________________

To receive a bill based on actual consumption, please follow the instructions below.

How To Read Your Meter

Meters have 4 or 5 small dials that record consumption. Adjacent dials turn in opposite directions – some turn clockwise and others turn counter-clockwise. A disk in the meter revolves as electricity is used in the premises. This disk moves the hands on the dials.

We recommend you start reading the meter from right to left and write down the figures in the same order (using the example below. That would be ___ ___ (arrow pointing left)7 (arrow pointing left)4 (arrow pointing left)9 ). When the hand is between two numbers on the dial, record the lower number. The only exception is when the hand is between the numbers 9 and 0. In this case, think of the 0 as equal to 10, then 9 is the number you record because it is actually the lower number. Here is an example of an electric meter reading.

Drawing of 5 dials

Some premises may be metered by a digital device, which makes recording easy. If digital, please record the numerical digits on the readout.

Meter Readings

Please take the time to record the meter number, the date the meter was read, and the reading. Then fax this form to 604 528-2297 or call BC Hydro toll-free at 1 800 224-9376, or 604 224-9376 in the Lower Mainland.

Meter number ____________________________

Date meter read __________________________

If your electric meter has only 4 dials, indicate reading in these spaces.
Drawing of 5 dials (ignore dial on left, read other 4 dials)

If you have a digital Electric Meter, indicate readings in these boxes.
Drawing of 5 squares.

May 2006

http://www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca/html/?page_id=5852