Surely once an electrician has looked at the meter and has made an estimated reading of it and you have been billed a consumption that was not 100% real. This task is prevalent. If, for example, you sign up with a new trader, it is necessary to carry out this operation. However, it will always be a function of the distributor, independent of the company that charges you the electricity.
In the electricity blog, we have already explained what a light meter is, but we want the user to be able to read it without a problem. Thanks to this, you will not only be able to control what the field technician does, but you will also know how to alleviate electrical problems since the accountants record the consumption of your home. This information allows you to see each day what you consume so you can obtain concise data to know your spending and take measures to save.
What types of light meter can you find?
As we have explained to you, the meter counts the number of kWh consumed in a home. Then, the electricity distributor is responsible for making the readings on that consumption and send them to the marketer contracted by the customer to bill him on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. Although the meters are evolving, the old meters, also known as analog meters, are still valid (until 2019).
Analog counters
The analog meter allows quantifying the number of kWh consumed in a home or business. This type of meter contains two sets of coils that create magnetic fields, whose operation turns the disk, which means that each turn is proportional to the power consumed.
Digital counters
This type of counter allows you to do a reading with time discrimination and Telemanagement. Also, it displays the information on a small screen available on the device.
Smart digital counter
Also called “Smart meter,” this meter is connected to a network and allows your distributor to read the consumption information of each hour. It also has a novelty; the user can access information through the Internet in real-time. This allows the readings to be more accurate, and it is not necessary to make estimates at the end of the month.
How to take the reading of your digital counter?
To be able to make a reading of the light meter, you will first have to know what type of counter counts, whether it is an analog meter or a digital counter. If it is an analog counter, you will only receive the information in one piece of information. Still, on the other hand, if it is a digital counter, the knowledge will be more extensive and precise. Although many brands market them, the way of reading is very similar.
To be able to do this reading, you will have to know where it is. If you have direct access to your home or if it is in a common area, you should go to the person in charge: the doorman of the fina or the president of the community. If we have access to our accountant, it is widespread that you do not understand the information that it provides. Once we have access we will see that the counter only has one button, do not be alarmed, from that access -pulsing several times- you will arrive at the functions of reading such as seeing the Valle hours and Punta hours if you have a discrimination fee Hourly (DH). If, after reading the information, you still have doubts, you have to contact your distributor to help you. In this post, we inform you which distributor operates in your area.
Even if a digital counter is available, it doesn’t need to be intelligent, since it may not show the hourly consumption of the home. For this to be possible, Telemanagement must be activated in the control unit in your area.
To better understand the reading, we will have to know what kind of rate we have contracted, here we show you the different options:
Without time discrimination
- Reading of digital meters with rate 2.0A (up to 10 kW) or 2.1 A (10 -15 kW): only one reading of the consumed kW that will go next to the code 1.18.1. (This code what it means is the one corresponding to the consumption in kW). Not all the counters are the same, so if you have a rate without Time Discrimination, the reading of this code will be of the total period and not the daily.
To be able to do the analysis, you will have to press the counter button.
In this analysis, you will see the following information:
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- The total kW that you have consumed up to the date in which you do the reading.
- The total or total reading of the meter since it was installed, or the total consumption of the period you are analyzing.
To calculate your consumption individually and to depend on how you rate your marketer: monthly or bi-monthly, you must subtract the total reading of the previous reading, that is, the last month or the previous two. In this way, you can have a higher accuracy of the kW you have consumed.
With time discrimination
- Reading of digital counters with a rate 2.0 DH or 2.1 DH: if you have Time Discrimination (DH), those rates with two periods (Valley and Point), we can follow the previous example. In this case, the code is 1.18.1 in Punta and 1.18.2 in Valle. To read the total consumption of the period, you will have to make a reading of the code 1.18.0, and this will be the sum of the two previous readings. If you have DH, you will see that there are two wheels and two rows of boxes, in each, there is a reading of each period: Punta and Valle.
- Reading digital counters with a 2.0DHS rate: if you have a tariff with three-period time discrimination (Point, Valley, and Supervalu), the reading of the counter will be very similar to reading the previous case. This type of fare is intended for users of electric vehicles. For this type of rate, within the counter, you should look for the readings of the three periods previously mentioned, and the codes of these are the following: 1.18.1 for the Punta period, 1.18.2 for the Valle period and finally, 1.18.3. For the Supervalu period. And if you want to know the total consumption for the period, you will have to look for the code 1.18.0 that corresponds to the sum of the three periods previously named. These counters are known as three-phase meters.
For those who do not have an electronic accountant, do not worry, because there is still time for 2018 to finish. However, if you even do not have it, you will have to contact your distributor to find out when the process of change is your electronic counter So the evolution of the analog ones – those that have a “little wheel” – will be replaced by the end of the year.
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