Though Southern California Edison prides itself on meter reading accuracy of more than 98%, sometimes errors do occur. The steps listed below will help you verify our meter reading.

1. Find the Usage section of your bill.
   
   
2. Under the heading Dates and Readings are two columns labeled From and To. The top numbers in the To column contain the date of your last meter reading. The numbers beneath the date tell you what this reading was. Write down this number.
   
   
3. Get the current reading from your meter. If you are unable to read your meter, call SCE at 1-800-655-4555.
   
   
4. Compare your reading with the reading on your bill. Your current meter reading should be higher than the reading on your bill. If the meter reading on your bill is higher than your reading", go to Request a Meter Read Verification or call SCE at 1-800-655-4555. Have the following information handy:

• Your Name.
  
  
• Your 10 or 13 digit account number.
  
  
• The meter reading on your bill, including the date.
  
  
• Your own meter reading, including the date you read your meter.

If the number you read off your meter is slightly higher than the meter read on your bill, you may want to take a closer look at your energy usage during this billing period. To do this, subtract the meter read on your bill from the new read you obtained. Divide the difference by the number of days to get your daily average. Compare this figure to the daily average on your bill.

Here are some things to look for as you examine your bill:

1. In the Usage Comparison area of the Electricity Usage section, look at the Number of Days for this month. If the number of days is higher than previous months, your usage this month may be higher.
   
   
2. Directly under the Number of Days, you'll find the Average Usage Per Day for this year. If your average daily usage is higher than in previous months, the charges this month may be higher than expected. Reasons for a higher average daily usage include:

• Weather conditions requiring greater heating, cooling, or swimming pool pump usage than last year.
  
  
• The addition of new electrically-powered equipment including appliances, pool or spa heaters or motors, golf carts, leaf blowers, personal computers or printers, large- screen TVs, large aquariums, larger refrigerators or freezers, waterbeds, trailers or RVs, engine block heaters, etc.
  
  
• Guests, visiting relatives, students home for the holidays, workers on a remodeling project, or other additional people in your home using electrical appliances.
  
  
• Check the Message area of your previous bill to find out if it was an "estimated bill." When SCE is unable to access a meter, we estimate how much electricity has been used. If your previous bill was an estimate, it may have been lower than your actual usage, making this month's actual reading appear higher than expected. If your meter is difficult to access, please call us so we can work together to find a solution. For instance, if your meter is behind a locked gate, SCE can provide a new lock that will allow our service representative to enter.

Review our Energy Cost Guide or request a free Energy Audit for additional explanations of increased electric usage.