Your local utility company reads your meter and transmits this information to Reliant. If you have questions about a specific meter read, please contact one of our best-in-class customer service representatives at 713-207-7777 or 1-866-222-7100, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How do I read my electricity meter?
Your electricity meter measures the amount of electricity you use in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Reading your meter often, along with careful observation of the weather and the appliances you use, can help you manage energy consumption and evaluate the effectiveness of your appliances. By noting high-consumption activities, such as air conditioning in the summer, you’ll be able to determine where your energy dollars are going. It’s also the best way to know exactly how much electricity you’re using—and how much your energy-saving measures are reducing your electricity usage.
There are two types of electricity meters: dial and digital. With a little practice, both are fairly easy to read and understand.
Digital Meters: With digital meters, all you have to do is read the meter like the mileage odometer in your car. Every time the number increases, that's another kilowatt-hour used.
Dial Meters: Each dial on this meter represents one digit in the total number of kilowatt-hours you've used since the last time your meter was read. Most meters have five dials with 10 numbers and a pointer that turns when electricity is being used. Look closely, and you'll see that the numbers go around the face clockwise on some of the dials, and counter-clockwise on every other dial.
How to Read your Meter
Read the dials starting with the meter on the far right and ending with the far left, writing down the numbers in the same order. Write down the number that each hand has just passed. Remember that some dials have counterclockwise numbers and every other meter has clockwise numbers.
If a hand is directly on a number, look at the dial to its immediate right. If that hand has just passed zero, write down the number that the left meter is pointing to. If that hand has not passed zero, write down the last number that the meter on the left has passed.
Making Sense of Your Meter Reading
Once you’ve learned how to read your meter, it's easy to figure out how much electricity you've used since your last electric bill.
Look at last month’s electric bill to find the recorded reading.
Subtract last month's reading from the number you just took off your meter.
The result is the total number of kilowatt-hours you've used since your last reading.
Total Days Between Readings May Vary
Your meter is read once a month. Because of weekends, holidays or the length of the month, the total days between each meter reading may vary. This is why it’s possible for your monthly usage to increase or decrease from the previous billing period even though your average daily use remains the same.
Is there a type of electric meter I can obtain that can be read from the street?
Yes, offsite meter reading (OMR) uses radio-equipped handheld computers to read module-equipped electric meters without the need to directly access the meter. Some of the advantages of OMR meters include:
Improved meter reading accuracy
Eliminates denial of access issues caused by hard-to-reach meters due to gates, pets in the yard, etc.
Meter reader does not have to enter your yard to read the meter
To order an OMR meter, please call us at 713-207-7777 or 866-222-7100 or send us an email.
How can I obtain an offsite meter reading (OMR) meter?
To order an OMR meter, please call us at 713-207-7777 or 1-866-222-7100 or send us an email. Once we receive your request , we will forward it to your local wires company; be sure to include your contact information and instructions on how to access your meter.
Please note that your local wires company charges a set fee for installing OMR meters, and fees vary by company. You can find out the price when contacting us with your meter request. The installation fee will appear as a line item on your Reliant Energy bill in the Current Electricity Charges Detail section. OMR meters are normally installed within 15 days, but may take up to 30 days to install from the day the request was received.
What can I do if I think the estimated meter reading on my bill may be higher than my actual usage?
You can perform a self-reading of your meter by following the “How to Read Your Meter” instructions above, then send us the results through our online tool:
Log on or register your Reliant account to access the self-read meter form. (With online account access, you'll be able to view copies of previous bills and find your meter number, which you'll need for the self-read meter form.)
Enter your meter number on the online form. You can find your meter number on an online bill or on the front of the meter (at either the bottom or the top of the face plate).
Enter the five-digit meter reading.
Enter the date you performed the self-reading.
Enter your email address.
Submit the form.
Our Customer Care team will use this information to determine if the reading you obtained is less than the reading used to bill your account. Once our investigation is complete, we will email your results to the address you provide in the form.
