If you want to keep track of how much electricity you're using, you can read your electric meter yourself. While the dials may look mysterious, it's easy to do.

The meter measures your electricity use in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kilowatt-hour is the amount of electricity required to keep a 100-watt light bulb on for 10 hours.

Your meter is either a digital or dial meter.

Reading a Digital Meter

Digital meters are read from left to right, like the odometer of your car.

The correct reading for this meter is 43641.

Reading a Dial Meter

Dial meters have rounded glass covers and small dials that look like little clocks. To read a dial meter, read each dial separately from the far right to the left and record the numbers in the same order, right to left, using the number the pointer has just passed.

The reading for this dial meter is 14235. If the pointer is close to a number, but not directly on it, check the dial to the right. If the pointer on that dial has not passed zero, use the lower number.

Locating Your Meter

Your meter is normally found outside your house or apartment building, usually about five feet off the ground. If you live in multi-family housing, your meter number is found in the top portion of your electric bill.

Electric meters are extremely accurate. Less than one-half of one percent of meters tested fails to meet the acceptable error rate of plus or minus 2 percent.

If you believe your meter is not working correctly, please call your nearest Jackson EMC office. You will be asked to pay a deposit, and your meter will be tested. If testing shows that the meter's accuracy is outside the acceptable error rate, your deposit will be refunded and your electric bill adjusted up or down accordingly.

Your monthly energy use in kWh is also found on your electric bill each month. For help on reducing your energy bill, visit our Web site and enter your home's information using our Home Analyzer.