Pasadena Water and Power reads your electric and water meters on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to determine how much electricity and water you have used. These reads are sent to our Customer Service Division for inclusion on your regular utility bill.
If you'd like to know how much you're currently using even before your bill comes in the mail, you can always check your electricity and water consumption by reading your meters. Knowing how to read your meter can help you make important decisions about your energy and water use.
Reading a meter is easier than you think. Just follow the instructions on this webpage. If you have questions, please call Customer Service at 626-744-4005
GENERAL NOTE: Water usage is measured in Hundred Cubic Feet (HCF), where one HCF is equivalent to 748 gallons.
TIP: If you suspect you have a water leak, turn off all water taps in your home or business and then go check your water meter. If you see the meter running, you may have a leak in your plumbing. Call a reliable licensed plumber!
Your water meter is usually enclosed in a concrete or plastic box located inside the sidewalk or parkway in front of your lot, near the street. Remove the concrete or plastic cover on the box by inserting a screwdriver or other narrow tool into one of the holes in the cover. Lift the cover and set it aside carefully. The meter will be easily visible just underneath the ground surface.
The number display in an odometer type meter functions and reads exactly like the mileage odometer in most cars. Disregard any needle movement since this is used only for testing purposes by PWP water staff.
Reading the DIAL type water
this type of meter, start with the 10 dial and always use the lower
number. Write the numbers down from right to left. A
"one-foot" dial is only for testing purposes. If you read
a meter a month later, subtract the old reading from the new and your will
find the amount you have used in cubic feet of water. Multiply by
7.48 and you will find the number of gallons of water used between the two
GENERAL NOTE: Electric usage is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
TIP: Just because you've turned off all your lights, appliances and electronics, it doesn't mean you don't have "energy vampires" in your home or work place. Check your electric meter to see if it's running up. If it is, it could because the chargers from your electronics are still plugged in; they suck electricity even if the electronic device is off or charged. Unplug your chargers when they are not in use, or plug them into a power strip with an on /off button.
Electric meters are usually mounted on the side of your home or building about 5 feet above ground level. It's round with a glass covering and it's typically near the main fuse box or panel of circuit breakers. If there are several meters on the wall, yours will be labeled with the "Meter Number" that matches what is clearly marked on your utility bill.
Almost all PWP electric customers have Automated Meter Read (AMR) meters with a digital display of electricity usage MEASURED IN KILOWATT-HOURS (kWh). These meters transmit billing data via a radio signal to handheld receivers that our meter readers carry on their routes. AMR meters are more efficient and accurate for meter reading than the old-fashioned mechanical dial meters.
To calculate how much electricity you've used so far during this bill cycle, you'll first need to get your most recent bill and compare it to what's displayed on your meter. Subtract the "Current Read" you see on your most recent bill from the digital number you see on your meter. The difference between the two is how much you've used so far in this bill cycle.
Ex: How to calculate your usage during this bill cycle:
The mechanical electric meter is easily identifiable by the clock-like dials on the meter face. Some have four dials and some have five. A pointer in each dial indicates a digit, 0 through 9. When all the indicated digits are read from left to right, they comprise the number of kilowatt-hours used.
Here's how to read your electricity usage:
1. Starting with the dial on the left and proceeding to the right, record the numbers indicated by the pointers.
2. Congratulations! The 4- or 5-digit number (depending on the number of dials on your meter) you've just recorded is your new meter reading. In the illustration above, the four dial reads 9045 kWh and the five dial reads 97616 kWh.
To calculate how much electricity you've used so far this bill cycle, you'll first need to get your most recent bill and compare it to what's displayed on your meter. Subtract the "Current Read" you see on your most recent bill from the number derived from your meter dials. The difference between the two is how much you've used so far in this bill cycle.
Ex: How to calculate your usage during this bill cycle:
>> General Information
Pasadena Water and Power has received grant funding from the American Public Power Association to replace a limited number of its existing digital AMR meters with more advanced technology. Approximately 200 of our residential customers have been selected to receive the new "advanced meter" through the Advanced Meter Pilot Program (AMPP).
The advanced meters present a number of advantages that are designed to help PWP ensure the quality and reliability of its electric service. Most important, if there is a power outage, the advanced meter can send an alert to PWP and we can quickly respond to troubleshoot the problem.
The advanced meters can also detect when the voltage on our power lines is too low or too high. Data collected from the new meters will help PWP plan for repairs or upgrades to power lines and electrical equipment in a participating customer's neighborhood.
If the advanced meter pilot program proves successful, PWP will consider installing them (or similar advanced meters) at all service addresses.
>> Locating and Reading Advanced Meters
If you are a participant in the Advanced Meter Pilot Program, your meter looks almost identical to the digital AMR meters that are installed at nearly all PWP electric customer service addresses. You may follow the same instructions for locating and reading your meter as what is described in the digital AMR meter section above.
>> More on Advanced Meters Pilot Program
Answers to most of your questions regarding the advanced meter and the pilot program can be found in the AMPP Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions or concerns, please send an email to WPD_Answerline@cityofpasadena.net