The vital importance of this lesson is that it will allow you to acquire a basic level of appreciation and knowledge of the techniques used by the utility company to measure the amount of energy used within the household. After this presentation, you should be able to read your own meter to calculate your energy bill.

1. Energy Meter
Presenter: Damion Lawrence, M.Sc., B.Ed.

2. PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
Student should:
1. Have an understanding of how to read the Kilo-
watt hour meter.
2. Know how to determine an energy bill from KWH
meter readings.

3. ENERGY METER DEFINITION
Energy meter is a device that is used to measure
energy consumption. There are of two types:
1. Digital Type.
2. Dial Type.

4. ENERGY METER.
 This is an example of a dial type KWH meter that
you may see outside your home.

5. ENERGY METER.
 The dials are the small circles on the front of the
meter, this meter consist of five-dials.
 The dial pointer rotates clockwise and anti-
clockwise on the dials.
 The meter dial are read from right to left.

6. ENERGY METER.
 When the pointer is between two numbers, read the
smaller of the two.
 When the pointer rest squarely on the number,
record the number.

7. ENERGY METER.
 The reading for this meter is 73256

8. ENERGY METER.
 To calculate the KWH used you need to get the
difference in usage on the meter. Therefore, take
the previous reading and subtract it from the
present reading.

9. ENERGY METER.
 To calculate the total cost of KWH used you need to
multiply the KWh used and the Rate charged for
each KWH used.
 Therefore, the formula is:
 Total Cost of Kilo-watt hour (KWH) used= KWH
used x Rate

10. Clarification table
Present 15469 KWH The number on the
meter currently
Previous 14469 KWH The number on the
meter last month
Difference 1000 KWH The difference
between the two
readings

11. EXAMPLE 1
 The bill from the utility company indicates a present
meter reading of 6060KWH and a previous
reading of 3140KWH.
 Calculate the total cost of KWH used, using an
average rate of 95cents per KWH.

12. EXAMPLE 1
Solution
Present reading = 6060kWH
Previous reading = 3140kWH
KWH used= 6060kWH- 3140kWH
=2920kWH
Therefore, Total cost of KWH used
= kWh used x Rate
= 2920kWH x $0.95
=$2774.00

13. ACTIVITY 1
A. Two successive
reading of the kilo-
watt hour meter are
shown. What are the
readings?
B. How many kilo-watt
hour (KWH) is used?
C. Calculate the total
cost of KWH used,
using an average rate
of $1.50 per KWH.

14. ACTIVITY 2
Draw the energy meter dials for the following
energy consumptions:
1. 76619KWH.
2. 60609KWH.
3. 87649KWH.
4. 19679KWH.

15. SUMMARY
The meter is read from right to left, if the
pointer points on a number that number is
recorded but if the pointer is not directly pointing
to a number then the number it has just past is
recorded.

16. SUMMARY
The formula for finding total KWH
(KWH = Present Reading – Previous Reading).

17. SUMMARY
The formula for calculating total cost of KWH
used (Total Cost = Total KWH used x Rate).