Meter readings to record on move day

A meter is never reset. It keeps a running total, and your bill is the difference between two readings. In the Kentucky Public Service Commission's example, 9653 this month minus 9630 last month is 23 kWh used. So your final bill at the old home ends at a reading, and your first bill at the new home starts at one.

Source: Kentucky PSC, A Consumer's Guide to Reading Electric & Gas Meters, checked October 10, 2026.

A smart meter reads itself on the stop date. Without one, Con Edison says the final bill is estimated from your past use unless someone reads the meter. A dated photo is your own record of what the meter said on the day you left and the day you arrived.

Source: Con Edison, How to Submit an Electricity Meter Reading, checked October 10, 2026.

1. Find the meter number first

   Every meter has its own number, on a label or stamped into the body. Consumers Energy asks for photos that show the meter number as well as the reading, so the utility can match the photo to the right meter.

2. Digital display

   Copy the numbers left to right, exactly as shown, including any zeros on the left. Many digital meters flip between screens. Wait for the one marked kWh before you copy it.

3. Dials

   Stand straight in front of the meter and read the dials left to right. When a pointer sits between two numbers, write the lower one. Between 9 and 0, write 9, because the 0 stands for 10. When a pointer sits right on a number, check the dial to its right. If that dial hasn't passed 0 yet, write the lower number. Neighboring dials turn in opposite directions, so read each one on its own.

4. Water register

   Most water meters read like a car's odometer. Write down every number, including any fixed or painted zeros on the right, and copy the unit printed on the face (cubic feet or gallons).

5. Two photos per meter

   Take one photo from a step back that shows where the meter is, then one up close where the numbers and the meter number are both sharp. Con Edison asks for the numbers to be readable in the photo.

6. Write the line

   Write the reading, the unit, the meter number, the date, the time and the photo number. Do it on the spot, not from the photo later.

Source: Consumers Energy, How We Read Meters, checked October 10, 2026; Kentucky PSC, A Consumer's Guide to Reading Electric & Gas Meters, checked October 10, 2026; Con Edison, How to Submit an Electricity Meter Reading, checked October 10, 2026; NYC DEP, How to Read Your Water Meter, checked October 15, 2026.

• At the old home, read the meters after the last load leaves, or on the stop date you booked. Dominion Energy says nobody needs to be home if the meter is easy to reach. If a fence, a locked gate or a dog is in the way, an adult has to be there for the final reading.
• At the new home, read the meters on key day, before you run the washer or turn up the heat. That reading is where your use begins.
• In an apartment building, the meters are often grouped in one room and labeled by unit. Check that the label matches your unit number before you take the photo. If water comes with the rent and your unit has no water meter, write NA on that line.
• With a smart meter, the reading goes to the utility on its own; Consumers Energy says almost every home it serves has one. Take the photo anyway. It takes a minute and it carries the date.

Source: Dominion Energy, Stop Service (Virginia), checked October 10, 2026; Consumers Energy, How We Read Meters, checked October 10, 2026.

Dominion Energy issues the final bill the business day after the final reading. Consumers Energy says its final bill can take up to 40 days. Keep the photos until the last bill from the old home is paid.

Source: Dominion Energy, Stop Service (Virginia), checked October 10, 2026; Consumers Energy, Start, Stop or Transfer Service, checked October 10, 2026.

1. Find the end reading on the bill

   Look for the end or present reading, and check whether the bill calls it actual or estimated.

2. Hold it next to your photo

   Check the meter number first, then the reading and the date. The bill's end reading should be close to your photo and dated near your stop date.

3. Send your reading if they differ

   If the bill used an estimate, send the utility your dated photo and your account number. Con Edison takes readings by email with a photo. Other utilities print their own way on the bill.

Source: Con Edison, How to Submit an Electricity Meter Reading, checked October 10, 2026.

• Tip 01

  Keep the time stamp

  Use the phone's normal camera so each photo keeps its date and time. Don't crop the original; save an edited copy if you need one.

• Tip 02

  Tilt to beat the glare

  Glass and plastic covers reflect. Step a little to one side, turn the flash off and shade the face with your hand.

• Tip 03

  Write the unit every time

  kWh, cubic feet, CCF or gallons. A number with no unit is hard to check against a bill later.

  Source: Kentucky PSC, A Consumer's Guide to Reading Electric & Gas Meters, checked October 10, 2026.

• Tip 04

  Same order at both homes

  Electric, then gas, then water. If the lines always go in the same order, the two homes line up row for row on the sheet.

• Tip 05

  Email the photos to yourself

  Send the close-ups to your own email the same day, so they're safe if the phone goes missing in the move.

This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.

• SystemSpring home checklist and leak-check recordThe spring list for a US home on one printable page: book the cooling check-up, date and test every alarm, check the filter, run the two-hour leak check.9 steps · 6 parts · 1 page to printOpen the system
• SystemUtility setup and transfer: one call day, two meter daysCount back from move day to one call day, stop the old home the day after you leave, start the new one on key day, and photograph every meter both times.8 steps · 3 parts · 1 page to printOpen the system

• Chapter 04Utility transfer checklistEnter your move-out and move-in dates. Get the last day to call electric, gas, water, trash and internet, the meter days, and a utility list to print.Open the tool
• Practical noteHow to fill in a move-in condition checklistOne letter per row, then what, where and how big, plus the photo number. Notes a stranger can read a year later, and what to do with the copies.Read the guide
• Know-howWhat to photograph on move-in day, room by roomThe shot list for an empty rental: wide photos from each corner, then one close-up per item, numbered in walking order so the sheet and your phone agree.Read the guide
• Chapter 04All moving toolsMoving tools with a printable sheet behind each one: a numbered move-in photo list, a condition sheet for renters, and the dates to call each utility.Open the chapter

• A Consumer's Guide to Reading Electric & Gas Meters, Kentucky Public Service Commission. Checked October 10, 2026.
• How We Read Meters, Consumers Energy (Michigan). Checked October 10, 2026.
• How to Submit an Electricity Meter Reading, Con Edison (New York). Checked October 10, 2026.
• How to Read Your Water Meter, New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Checked October 15, 2026.
• Stop Service, Dominion Energy (Virginia). Checked October 10, 2026.
• Start, Stop or Transfer Service, Consumers Energy (Michigan). Checked October 10, 2026.

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.