# Help with reading Electricity Meter



## PolkaDot (17 May 2011)

Sorry if this is a basic question, but I'm just trying to get my head around reading my Electricity Meter to get an accurate reading. I know the suppliers tell you to ignore numbers in red when giving them a reading, but I am trying to check the energy consumption of some appliances, so I want to take an accurate reading.

I posted a picture of my meter below. My interpretation of the reading shown is that it is 70924.32 kWh. This is based on the 5 main digits in black and white and the digit in the box with the red square, labelled "1/10". 

My question is in relation to the red and white digit just to the right of the "1 kWh" main digit. i.e. in the picture shown it is 5, with the top of the 6 just appearing at the bottom.

Does anyone know what that digit is for? Thanks

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/717/img0643f.jpg/[broken link removed]


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## alexandra123 (17 May 2011)

I think it represents the dial on how far it is to the 1 kwh. For example if it read .5 it means that it would be half way to 1 kwh so it represents .5 of a kwh.
70,924.5 kwh


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## Guest125 (17 May 2011)

I don't think you understand what the meter does. It measures the Total amount units consumed in the premises since the meter was installed and the electricity connected. In the case of your photograph the premises has used seventy thousand nine hundred and twenty four units(ignoring the red box,which only measures tenths of a unit) Kw/h is the electrical term for a unit. I think this is what you need [broken link removed]


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## PolkaDot (17 May 2011)

No in theory if I take a reading at time X and then a reading at time X+1hour, I can see how much the meter has increased by in that hour.

I realise that the total number is the amount of electricity consumed since first installation. I'm trying to calculate difference in readings.


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## PolkaDot (17 May 2011)

alexandra123 said:


> I think it represents the dial on how far it is to the 1 kwh. For example if it read .5 it means that it would be half way to 1 kwh so it represents .5 of a kwh.
> 70,924.5 kwh



I don't think that's correct. The box with the read square marked "1/10" is a tenth of a kWh. This dial rotates quicker than any of the other dials. One full revolution of this dial corresponds to an increase of 1kWh on the main reading. I have checked this.

The red and white digit at the end of the main reading rotates at a similar rate to the 1kWh digit. So it can't be a tenth of a kWh.


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