Decoding your digits.
Your electric or gas meter tells Unitil how much energy your property has used in the previous billing cycle, keeping you informed of your monthly energy use. For electricity, usage is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh), and for natural gas, usage is measured in one-hundred cubic feet (ccf) which we convert into therms.
By comparing your monthly energy use over time, you can make more educated decisions about your future usage and lower your monthly bill.
How We Read Your Meter
Unitil uses both Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and an Automated Meter Reading system (AMR) to capture customer meter readings. These technologies provide accurate readings on the final day of the billing cycle, along with providing data at various intervals throughout the billing period.
For gas meters, Unitil utilizes the AMR system to capture customer meter readings wirelessly. Our electric meters are read remotely through an AMI system. Both of these technologies allow meters to be read without having a technician visit your location. The AMI system allows us to take accurate meter readings on a daily basis. In turn, we can provide very detailed energy consumption information back to the customer.
How You Can Read Your Meter
We provide you with your monthly energy usage on your bills. However, you may still wish to read your meter from time to time.
If your meter has a digital display, the numbers should be read exactly as they appear, from left to right.
Here are the steps to decode a dial meter:
- Read and record the number from each dial starting from the left and going to the right.
- When the hand is between two numbers or has just passed a number, record the smaller number (if the hand is between the 3 and 4 or has just passed the 3, record the number 3). This is unless it’s between 0 and 9 — in this case, record 9.
- When the hand appears to be directly on a number, check the dial to the right. If the hand has not passed zero, record the smaller number instead.
Customized Rate Options Are in Your Future
Recently, Unitil upgraded its system to the next generation of Advanced Metering Functionality (AMF). This technology includes the capability to record consumption at 15-minute intervals, which opens customers up to participating in Time-of-Use rate pricing programs if they are using smart-home technologies.
Time-of-Use is when you pay different prices for the electricity you use, depending on when you use it (time of day, week and year). With this latest upgrade, we are looking to the future of developing customized rate options, and in turn encouraging more customers to invest in sustainable energy technologies like electric vehicles, self-generation, energy storage and home energy management solutions.
Whole House and/or EV Time-of-Use rates are now available to eligible electric customers.
Helpful Resources
Understanding your bill, taking control of your energy usage and exploring alternatives can help you keep your meter dials low. Knowledge equals savings.
