Electric meters according to the rules should be in each apartment. Typically, the numbers from these devices are transferred to the management company by the residents themselves. On this occasion, many are interested in the question of how to take readings from the electric meter and still not be mistaken. We will talk about this later in the article.
Varieties of modern counters
First, it is worth considering what meters are generally used in modern apartments. So, most often in residential premises you can see:
- single-phase conventional meters (accuracy class 2.0);
- single-phase electric devices (1.0);
- multitariff counters with several windows.
In luxury apartments, you can sometimes see three-phase devices.
Determining what kind of equipment is installed in the room is not difficult. If only two or three wires are suitable for the meter, then it is single-phase. If more - three-phase.
Meter Locations
Before you start figuring out how to take readings from the meter, let's see where it can be mounted. This meter is usually located either on the landing or directly in the apartment itself. In the first case, the management company is engaged in its maintenance, including taking readings. Of course, the tenant has every right to check the number of kilowatts that have arrived and independently.
If the meter is installed in the apartment, the owner himself must provide data to the management company in a certain period of time.
Also, the landlord is obliged to provide representatives of RES with access to their apartment to check equipment and take readings. In the event that the owners are not at home, usually the public utilities or the power grid leave a note at the door asking them to call the indicated number and report the numbers from the device.
How to take readings from the meter yourself
In apartments, three-, four- and five-digit counters can be installed. In order not to be mistaken, you should look at the color of the last drum. If it differs from the color of the others, it means that this part is not calculated, and the figure indicated on it should be simply discarded at the moment. The same can be said if there is a comma in front of the drum. The zero in front of all digits must be indicated.
It will also be useful to learn how to take readings from the meter if it is multi-tariff. In this case, you will have to perform some calculations. All windows of such devices, as a rule, are numbered. The tenant should write out on a piece of paper all the numbers up to one after the decimal point. That is, if the device shows 230.756, you need to record 230.7. And so with all the windows. Next, proceed to fill out the receipt. For example, the codes for three-tariff accounting are as follows: peak (T1) - 13, p / peak (T3) - 15, night (T2) - 2. The receipt will need to include the readings of all the windows for the previous month and for the current one.
Actual power consumption is calculated by subtracting the former from the latter. The following columns enter the cost of a kilowatt for each of the three tariffs. Calculating how much you have to pay for the energy spent is not difficult. You just need to multiply the actual expense by the cost of the tariff.
What should not be done in any case
So, we found out how to take readings from the electric meter. Now let's talk about what you should not do. Some home craftsmen rewind meter readings in order to pay less for electricity. Basically, this method of "saving" is used by those residents whose metering devices are installed directly in the apartment. Of course, this should not be done. Distribution workers constantly conduct raids, measuring the load on the line. After that, suspicious apartments are checked for theft of electricity. In the event that a violation is detected, the owners will have to pay a much larger amount than they managed to save.
Thus, it is absolutely clear who should take the readings of the electric meter: either the owners of the apartment themselves, or representatives of the management company. In order to find out the figure, you just need to look at the window of the device.