Reading Water Meter Has Several Benefits

Press release from the City of Golden Valley:

April 2, 2020

Taking a shower, doing laundry, and washing the dishes are all things that make your water meter move. Knowing how to read your meter can help you control your water usage, and ultimately, your bill.

Tracking monthly water use can help you avoid surprises or discrepancies on your utility bill and detect potential problems (like a leaky toilet). It can also influence you and your family to use less water, thus saving money.

Once you understand how to read your meter, use the chart below that applies to your billing cycle to start keeping track of how much water your household uses each month.

New style meter: Nine number slots with decimal point

Old style meter: Seven number slots

First slot: 1 million gallons used

Second slot: 100,000 gallons used

Third slot: 10,000 gallons used

Fourth slot: 1,000 gallons used (This number determines how you are charged on your utility bill. When this slot reaches 9, it will return to 0 after another 1,000 gallons are used.)

Fifth slot: 100 gallons used

Sixth slot: 10 gallons used

Seventh slot: 1 gallon used (new style meter), permanent 0 (old style meter) On the new style meter, slots eight and nine follow a decimal point.

This press release was produced by the City of Golden Valley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.