Know which meter you have
Australian homes have one of a few meter types, and reading each is a little different. An old accumulation (basic) meter shows a single running total of kWh, either on a spinning-dial display or a simple digital counter — it only tells you a cumulative number, not when you used the power. A smart meter (also called an interval or digital meter) records usage in short intervals and can be read remotely by your retailer, which is why homes with smart meters rarely get estimated bills.
If you have solar, you likely have a bi-directional meter that records both the power you import from the grid and the power you export back. And some older homes have separate meters or registers for controlled load (like off-peak hot water), which show up as an extra reading.
How to take a reading
- Find your meter — usually in a box on an external wall, in a meter cupboard, or in the garage. Note the meter number printed on it if you need to match it to your bill.
- For a digital display, simply read the numbers shown left to right and ignore any digits after a decimal point or in a red box. Some smart meters cycle through several screens — note the reading against each register label (for example E1 for general use, E2 for controlled load, B1 for solar export).
- For an old dial meter, read each dial left to right. Where a pointer sits between two numbers, record the lower number; if it sits directly on a number, check the dial to its right — if that has passed zero, use that number, otherwise use the one below.
- Write down the reading and the date. To measure usage over time, take a second reading later and subtract the first from the second — the difference is the kWh you used in between.
Self-reads and estimated bills
If your meter is not read remotely, your retailer sends a meter reader periodically — and in between, or when access is blocked (a locked gate, a dog in the yard), they estimate your bill from past usage. Estimates are why a bill can look wrong: a low estimate followed by an actual read produces a "catch-up" bill that looks like a spike even though your usage never changed.
You can avoid this by submitting your own reading, called a self-read, through your retailer app, website or phone line. It replaces the estimate with a real number so you are billed for exactly what you used. It is worth doing if your bills say "estimated", if you have just moved in or out, or if a bill looks unexpectedly high or low.
Turn a reading into a cheaper plan
Your meter reading is only half the picture — the other half is whether you are paying a fair rate for those kWh. Once you know your real usage, you can compare plans on it rather than on a guess.
EnergySorted reads the usage and tariff detail straight from an uploaded bill and costs 16,000+ plans against it, with no retailer commission. If you have a smart meter, its interval data unlocks even sharper time-of-use analysis, and the Bill Health Score tells you immediately whether your current plan is competitive for the way you actually use power.