Reading Your Meter
One of the most important factors in controlling the cost of providing electric service in rural areas is having your members read their meters each month. This reading is recorded on the billing card that members include with their payment for the previous month’s electric bill, or by calling toll free 1-888-805-7232 during office hours. Some meters such as seasonal, irrigation and demand meters are read by the cooperative monthly since it is not feasible for the member to read it themselves.
South Central Electric Association suggests that you read your meter on or about the same day each month so that each reading sent in will cover approximately the same number of days. The meter should be read on the 1st day each month.
Occasionally a member will send in an incorrect reading. It is hoped that the following pictures and explanation will be helpful.
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The most common meter installed on South Central Electrics line now is the digital meter above. To record your reading simply read the numbers after the meter flashes all eights. The other meters generally used are 4 and 5 dial meters. Read all four or five digits including any stationary zero and report this reading as described above.
Members with load management equipment may have more than one meter to read. Meters that measure the electrical use of electric heating or corn drying are normally located in the basement and on the side of the house or on the dryer. Read these load management meters at the same time as you read the main meter and mark them on your meter card.
Some services have a sub-meter which meters the electricity used for one particular portion of your electric service usage. Sometimes these are used to keep track of the usage for a corn dryer or the usage for a house only. They may record the usage for water heaters, wells, etc. The kilowatt hours that go through these meters go through the main meter also and only the main meter is recorded for the billings. The customer is responsible for the reading of this meter and for the computing the cost of the kilowatt hours that go through this sub meter. They are the property of the owner and all use and responsibility is the owner’s.
The return portion of your bill has spaces for you to record your readings. Please record all digits displayed on the meter register in the spaces provided. If you have a meter that all five digits move, please record all five numbers. All South Central Electric meters have number attached to the face of the meter. If your account has more than meter, make sure you record the reading in the correct space opposite the corresponding meter number.
It is very important that your meter readings and payments arrive by the due date. If we do not receive your meter reading by the 15th we will estimate your usage for the month. If the cooperative must estimate your bill for two consecutive months, the Cooperative will read the meter on or about the 1st day of the following month at a charge of $40.00.
Correct meter readings are essential to the operation of your Cooperative. To verify meter accuracy South Central Electric will read each meter at least once every twelve months. There is no charge for that reading. It is done verify our records only.
South Central Electric replaces meters on a ten year cycle. We test the old meters for accuracy and then put them back into service. This testing program ensures that all meters are accurately measuring electrical use.