Your local poles and wires company is the entity that reads your meter on a regular basis and transmits that information to Stream Energy. Stream Energy is in charge of processing the meter read information, generating customer invoices, and providing customer service. If you have questions about a specific meter read or billing cycle, or need further help regarding your bill, then contact one of our Customer Care Representatives at 1-866-447-8723 and they will be able to provide you with further assistance.

One of the best ways to take control of your electricity consumption is to know how much electricity you use. Every electricity meter measures the amount of electricity consumed over a given period of time, typically a Billing Cycle, and each unit of electricity consumed and measured is expressed in kilo-watt hours (or kWh).

When reading your meter, especially if your intent is to compare it to months before or for future reference, it is important to take special note of certain factors that may affect your results, to name a few:

• Average temperature for the period you’re monitoring
• Weather/temperature anomalies or for extended periods of time
• Summer cooling vs. Winter heating

Keeping these factors in mind will help you determine what is causing spikes in your usage and where your electricity dollars are being spent. By regularly reading your meter, you can manage your electricity usage more effectively and gain a better understanding of which appliances or activities are causing a significant drain.

Digital Meters

Very similar to reading the odometer on your car’s dashboard. There are no dials that need to be read, just a simple, easy-to-read digital number.

Analog (Dial) Meters

An analog meter is the most common type being used today. It is called analog because of the five (5) dials used to calculate the total number of kilowatt-hours consumed. Each dial holds a value which together makes up your meter reading. Most meters have five (5) dials with ten numbers (10), beginning from zero (0) and going up to nine (9). The pointer turns in increasing value, sometimes from right to left or left to right, thereby designating the amount of electricity consumed. If you pay close attention, you will notice that every other dial is read in clockwise fashion.

Here’s how to read your analog meter.

Read the dials from right to left. The first dial (or Dial 1) must make a full revolution before the second dial (Dial 2) can move one space. Follow the same order of operations for dials 3 through 5.
Write down the number the pointer has passed, not the number that it is moving toward. Read the first dial clockwise, second dial counterclockwise, and continue to follow the same alternating pattern for the next three dials. If the pointer looks to be covering a number, you can check to make sure it has reached that number by seeing if the dial directly to the right has completed a full revolution. To determine your electricity usage for the month, subtract the previous month’s meter read (as designated on your monthly bill) from this month’s reading.