Know How Your Meter Works
On this page you will find:
Helpful Terminology
Meter Accuracy Info
Warnings Against Meter Tampering
How to Read your Meter
How your Meter Works
RP&L Meter Readers
Electricity is used more than any other source of energy in the United
States. Just about everything we use every day is
powered by electricity...our stoves, microwave ovens,
lamps, stereos, and televisions, just to name a few.
Electricity is produced
by burning coal, which heats water to make steam.
The steam turns a "turbine," which turns a "generator
rotor," which produces electricity. Basically,
the process turns heat energy into electrical energy.
Terminology
Amp: Short for "ampere," a unit of electric current.
Circuit: The path an electric current flows.
Fuse: A device that contains an element that protects the electric
current by melting when overloaded.
Kilowatt: One-thousand watts of power.
Meterbase: The enclosure, usually mounted on a wall of the dwelling,
which hold the watt-hour meter.
Volt: A unit of electrical potential. The higher the voltage,
the greater the electric power.
Watt: A unit of electrical power. For example, the higher
the wattage of a light bulb, the brighter the light.
Meter Accuracy
Electric meters are extremely accurate recording devices. All meters
must pass rigid testing before RP&L's Meter Department
will install them. We routinely test your meter
every 10 years. It is seldom found that a meter runs fast.
If anything, the older the meter, the slower it will become.
When your electric bill seems high, keep in mind the possibility
that you might have a greater number of days included
in this bill, or that you are comparing it to a previous
bill where the weather conditions were not similar.
It would always be better to compare your bill with the
same month last year instead of comparing it to your last
month's bill because of the changes in temperature.
If after considering these factors your bill still seems
too high, we would be happy to speak with you about some
other possibilities. Please feel free to call our
meter department at 973-7200.
RP&L Meter Readers place high importance on reading your meter correctly.
Our billing calculation allows for a window in which the
reading "should" fall. In other words,
we have an idea of what your reading is most likely going
to be, therefore, allowing us a method of catching errors
before your bill is printed. When a reading falls
outside this window, either higher or lower than what
seems normal, then the address appears on a report.
From this report, a meter reader will return to the address
to double-check the reading and make any necessary adjustments
before you receive your monthly bill.
Meter Tampering
It is ILLEGAL
under Indiana code 35-43-5-3 to tamper with your electric
meter! Do not cut the seal on your meter base for
any reason! If you need your seal cut for access
to the meter base, call RP&L to schedule someone to
come out and help you. Energy theft is a growing
problem. Although only a few of our customers have
ever been found to be tampering with their meters, this
problem seems to be happening more and more often.
When people try to lower their own electric bills by tampering
with their meter, they are not only exposing themselves
to criminal charges, but also to a very dangerous situation.
When you mess with your meter, there's a good chance you'll
be electrocuted or will start a fire.
When people tamper with their electric meters, they are
stealing from RP&L...and from you! Just as department
stores have to cover their losses from shoplifting by
increasing their prices, we have to cover our losses from
shoplifting by raising our electric bills. In effect,
you are paying for the dishonesty of others!
We have trained our meter readers to recognize the signs
of meter tampering. RP&L has, and will continue
to, prosecute anyone who has tampered with their electric
meter or tries to reconnect their electric service.
If you know, or suspect, anyone of tampering with their
electric meter, or who has illegally reconnected their
electric service, please call Richmond Power & Light
at 973-7200. You don't have to give us your name,
but if you do decide to tell us who you are the information
will be kept confidential!
Read Your Meter
With a little practice you can learn to read your own meter
and calculate the kilowatts you've used each month.
RP&L uses several different display styles on the
meter faces, but the dial register is the most common.
A dial register displays 4 or 5 dials with pointers very
much like a watch. (A digital meter or cyclometer
displays numbers in place of the dials.)
A dial register is read
from right to left by reading all dials and recording
the reading in this same sequence. The reason for
reading the dials from right to left is that the right-hand
dial governs the one on its left in each instance.
Each pointer must complete a revolution to advance the
next pointer. Therefore, unless a pointer has passed
the zero, the pointer at its left has not actually reached
the number where it appears to rest.
The reading
will be:
To read the example above:
1. Start
with the right most dial and right the numbers down
right to left.
2. If the pointer is between two numbers, use
the lower number.
3. Keep in mind that the dials on the right must
make one full rotation before the pointer will move
to the next number on the dial to its left.
To figure the approximate cost:
1. Record your first reading.
2. Record your second reading one month later.
3. Subtract your first reading from the second
to determine kilowatt usage.
4. Multiply the number of kilowatts by .06 cents
for an approximate cost of electricity.
How Meters Work
Each RP&L meter is enclosed in a glass case. Within
the case is a revolving disk which in turn rotates a series
of numbers or dials. The disk rotates as electric
current passes through the meter to measure the exact
amount of kilowatts used. The speed varies
depending on how much electricity you are using in your
house. The more electricity you use, the faster
the rotation.
Electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours. Richmond Power &
Light's residential customers pay an average of six-cents
per kilowatt hour (kwh) of electricity. Your average
cost per kilowatt hour will probably be a little bit different,
depending on the total number of kilowatt hours you use
each month. The more electricity you use, the less
you pay per kilowatt hour. For an example, you may
figure that a 100 watt light bulb burning for 10 hours
uses one kilowatt-hour. Your home heating and air
conditioning equipment is the largest user of electricity
in your home. The second largest user of electricity
is most likely your water heater. Then comes major
appliances such as washers, dryers, stoves and refrigerators.
The chart below will show you an estimate of how much electricity the appliance
uses per month on the average, and the estimated monthly
cost to operate the appliance for a specific amount of
time:
| Appliance &
its Typical Wattage |
Average Use |
Average Monthly
kwh Usage |
|
Average Cost
per kwh |
|
Estimated Monthly
Cost |
| A/C Window Unit 9000 Btu/hr |
8 hours per day |
321 kwh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$19.26 |
| A/C Central Air 24,000 Btu/hr |
8 hours per day |
857 kwh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$51.42 |
| Clothes Dryer 4900 watts |
6 loads per week |
83 kwh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$4.98 |
| Clothes Washer 512 watts |
6 loads per week |
9 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$0.54 |
| Dishwasher 1200 watts |
25 loads per month |
30 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$1.80 |
| Freezer, frost-free 440 watts |
everyday |
147 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$8.82 |
| Range 12,200 watts |
for a family of three |
100 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$6.00 |
| Refrigerator, 14 cu ft, 615 watts |
everyday |
152 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$9.12 |
| Television, Color 200 watts |
6 hours per day |
37 kWh |
X |
.06 |
= |
$2.22 |
RP&L Meter Readers
Richmond Power & Light has a meter reader come to your home or business
each month. Our meter readers carry identification
and wear RP&L uniforms. Please ask to see identification
if you have a concern. They normally come on the
same day each month. If your meter is located inside
your home, you will need to let them in to get the reading.
Otherwise, they will leave a blue card that will allow
you to read your own. The card has simple instructions
for you to fill out and then return to us.
It is extremely important
for the safety of our meter readers that you remember
them when you put up new fences, lock gates, get new dogs,
or visibly obstruct a meter. If you have an extra
key for a locked gate, back porch, basement, or building,
you are welcome to give it to us so we may have access
without bothering you. All keys are kept in a vault
and are only taken out the day we read your route.
Meter readers read meters
20 working days out of each month. Each day is one cycle,
and each cycle is comprised of three routes. Therefore,
we know exactly what day we read your meter, calculate
the reading, what day it's due, and what day we print
and mail your bill. If it would be helpful for you
to know what cycle or route you are read, then please
call our billing department. Unfortunately, we are
not able to make changes in the routes just so the bill
will be due on a different day of the month.
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