Meter Reader

What is a Meter Reader?

Duties

The duties of a meter reader include the following functions:

• Walk or drive a truck to assigned routes for the purpose of reading electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters.
• Closely monitor meter dials for signs of defects, tampering and unauthorised connections, for the purpose of reporting maintenance problems to supervisory staff.
• Respond to queries from customers about services provided and clearly communicate relevant policies or processes of the concerned department.
• Insert recorded information during meter rounds, from hand-held computers/route books into office computers for data storage.
• Turn on meter services for new customers and turn it off for those who are late on payment of services rendered.

Day In The Life

A meter reader spends most of his or her days checking meters at different properties. Whether it is regarding electric, steam, gas or water consumption, it is up to the meter reader to connect or disconnect a utility and use an electronic device or route book to record the data until the end of the collection route.

You can expect to be traveling to various locations by driving or walking for gathering relevant information from customers, and ensuring that there is no defect or tampering with any of the meter dials. If you notice signs of utility theft, you will immediately inform senior personnel for further action. You will also report other issues such as inconsistencies with the meter reading or not being able to read them clearly.

Being approachable and friendly towards customers is an important part in this type of role. You might face situations where a customer is upset or anxious about their utility service, e.g. they have not paid the bills and you have come by to disconnect their service, they have moved to a new location and there were delays in setting up their utility connection, etc. It is a meter reader’s job to direct clients to customer centers via telephone and supply them with responses where possible.

Work Schedule

As you can tell, a meter reader’s work involves spending a lot of time outdoors, going from one assigned place to the next for the purpose of reading meters. This results in regular working hours and communicating frequently with customers as you go about your work. Further, you must be very aware of your surroundings at an unknown property to keep away from other obstacles like aggressive dogs. Disconnecting utilities can be an emotionally demanding situation, where you will require focus and increased attention to handle a distraught customer efficiently.

Growth Of The Job

As a meter reader, you may soon become a supervisor with sufficient experience. Meter reading as a profession can also help you create the foundation for better-paying and lucrative job opportunities in the future. If you are interested in an alternative career path, you can attend community college or a vocational school to gain knowledge of a trade first-hand, such as working as an electrical contractor or as a maintenance worker for air conditioners, refrigerators or the heating.

Typical Employers

A meter reader typically works for companies that provide various utilities or related services to customers. It is up to them to commute to different assigned locations in residential or commercial areas, to read the data from meters regarding how much of the utilities were used on a month-by-month basis. You could choose to work for gas, electric, and water companies, e.g. US Water Services Corporation, National Fuel, Grid One Solutions, Bermex, Avangrid, AmeriGas Propane, etc.