• Your electricity meter measures the amount of energy used by your household or business in kilowatt hours (kWh). A kilowatt hour is a unit of energy equivalent to 1,000 watts of power used for one hour. For example, a 100 W light bulb uses one kilowatt hour in ten hours.

• Your electric meter has four or five dials resembling clocks. Each dial represents a unit of kWh, starting with the "ones" dial on the far right, followed by the "tens", "hundreds", "thousands" and "ten thousands" dial.

• Each dial is numbered from 0 to 9 and moves in an opposite direction to the others beside it. The dial on the right controls the movement of the dial on its left. Each pointer must make one complete revolution in order for the dial on its left to move one position on the scale. For example, the "ones" dial has to turn once to move the "tens" dial next to it. When a meter has gone full cycle, the process begins again. 

When reading your electricity meter... If the pointer is between two numbers, always choose the lower number, even if the pointer appears to be touching the higher number. If the pointer is between 9 and 0, always record 9.  

What you should know about your electricity meter

• Every meter has a meter number that is used for identification purposes. When you submit your meter reading, please have this number handy.

• Your meter has been tested using Measurement Canada Standards and sealed for your protection before installation. London Hydro inspects the meters on a regular basis. Please call us at 661-5503 if you have any questions.  

Try our electricity meter reading skills test

Put your meter reading skills to the test with this fun, interactive exercise!

Remember, if the pointer is between two numbers, always choose the lower number, even if the pointer appears to be touching the higher number. If the pointer is between 9 and 0, always record 9.

You’ll have several opportunities to test your skills. Good luck!

try our electricity meter reading test

 

• Some residential water meters track consumption in cubic metres (m3), but are billed in cubic feet. To calculate your water consumption, subtract the previous reading from the current reading. This total can then be converted to cubic feet by multiplying by 35.315. Your consumption can be calculated into dollar amounts by applying the applicable rates.

• In order to ensure accurate and timely billing, London Hydro takes readings on a monthly basis. Since the majority of water meters are located inside premises, you may be asked to take the reading for us if we are unable to gain access to your home or property. However, more and more customers are opting to have "remote heads" – an outdoor meter that displays the identical information to the meter inside your home or workplace. These eliminate the need to call in your water meter readings. All new homes automatically have remote heads installed on the outside of the building by the City. Please call the City of London at (519) 661-4739 for more information about having a remote head installed at your home or company.

• Water meters are most commonly located in the basement, along the front wall of the house. They can be clearly visible from the basement floor but sometimes they may be hidden by cabinets that homeowners build around them. Below are some examples of the most common water meters.

• Your water meter may have a lid that flips up, and is covered by a clear plastic cover. Taking a reading from your water meter is easy. Simply record the numbers from left to right, as you would from a car odometer.