How the meters are made
Every meter is drawn from an invented reading, and its dials move together like a real meter's gears: when the 1s dial is between 9 and 0, the 10s dial sits a hair short of its next number. So a pointer can look exactly on a number, and the dial to its right settles it. Pick the rules your test, utility or class uses; every key follows them, and the rules print on the worksheet. Rates on the bills are invented for practice, not any utility's tariff.
The rules, side by side
| Rule | FirstEnergy | Florida PSC | Lakeland test | DepEd module |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Right to left | Left to right | Left to right | Right to left |
| Between two numbers | Lesser number | The number the hand has passed | Smallest number | Lower number |
| Exactly on a number | Check the dial to the right | Not stated | Not stated | Check the dial to the right |
| Between 9 and 0 | 9 (New Jersey insert) | Not stated | 9 | 9 |
FirstEnergy
- Order
- Right to left
- Between two numbers
- Lesser number
- Exactly on a number
- Check the dial to the right
- Between 9 and 0
- 9 (New Jersey insert)
Florida PSC
- Order
- Left to right
- Between two numbers
- The number the hand has passed
- Exactly on a number
- Not stated
- Between 9 and 0
- Not stated
Lakeland test
- Order
- Left to right
- Between two numbers
- Smallest number
- Exactly on a number
- Not stated
- Between 9 and 0
- 9
DepEd module
- Order
- Right to left
- Between two numbers
- Lower number
- Exactly on a number
- Check the dial to the right
- Between 9 and 0
- 9
A worked example
In set KWH234 (Philippine rules, Standard) the 1,000s pointer looks right on 8, but the 100s pointer is a hair short of 0, between 9 and 0: it has not passed 0, so the 1,000s dial reads 7 and the meter reads 27984 kWh. In question 2 the readings 39960 and 40300 kWh give 340 kWh. The first 30 kWh cost the minimum charge of ₱397.50 and the other 310 kWh cost 310 × ₱12.00 = ₱3,720.00, so the bill is ₱4,117.50. Open set KWH234
Questions
How do you read an electric meter with dials?
Write the number each pointer has passed: between two numbers take the lower one, and between 9 and 0 take 9. Neighboring dials turn opposite ways, so follow the numbers printed on each dial. Each dial gives one digit, from the 10,000s dial down to the 1s dial.
What if a pointer is exactly on a number?
Look at the dial to its right. If that pointer has passed 0, use the number. If it has not reached 0 yet, use the number below it. FirstEnergy and the DepEd Grade 6 module give this rule. The City of Lakeland written test gives no rule for it, so the job test setting never draws one.
Do you read the dials left to right or right to left?
Either, as long as each digit goes in its own place. FirstEnergy, NV Energy and the DepEd module read right to left, so you already know the dial to the right when a pointer sits on a number. The Florida PSC brochure and the Lakeland test read left to right.
How do you work out consumption and the bill?
Consumption is the present reading minus the previous reading. If the register passed all 9s and started again at 0, add 100,000 (for five digits) to the present reading first. Then apply the rates: a minimum charge covers the first units, and each unit over it costs the stated rate.
How do you read a water meter with seven digits?
In the DepEd module the first four digits count cubic meters and the last three count liters. A register showing 0592 and 345 reads 592 m³ and 345 L, or 592.345 m³. The water bill uses whole cubic meters: present minus previous.
Which gas meter dials do you skip?
The small dials marked 1/2 FOOT and 2 FEET are test dials, never part of the reading. The four large dials give hundreds of cubic feet (ccf): a reading of 2017 means 201,700 cubic feet.
What is on a meter reader test?
It depends on the employer. The City of Lakeland test gave five-dial meters with its own rules printed above the items. EBMUD's sample items include a gallon register whose printed 0 is replaced by the number on the 10 GAL dial. Follow the rules on your test sheet; the job test setting practices exactly that.
Sources, read October 25 and 26, 2026: DepEd Mathematics 6, Quarter 4 Module 3: Electric and Water Meter Reading (2020, PDF); FirstEnergy, How to read your electric meter (PDF) and New Jersey bill insert (2021, PDF); Florida Public Service Commission, How to read your electric meter (PDF); NV Energy, How to read your electric meter (PDF); US Department of Energy text on electric and gas meters (LibreTexts copy); North Alabama Gas District and Trussville Gas and Water: gas dials and test dials; EBMUD, About your meter and EBMUD sample test items (2019, PDF); City of Blue Springs MO, Reading your water meter: gallon registers; City of Lakeland FL, Ability testing for meter readers (IPAC 2006, PDF); Maynilad, How to read your water bill.