How to Reverse Install an Electric Meter

The energy meter in your home does not run backward without a lot of electrical work. Some utility companies will supply and install a dual-direction meter, which will run backward when you produce more energy than you are using, but in many cases you will have to install your own. A licensed electrician's help is necessary; inspection of your meter by the utility company will also be required before you can hook it to the grid.

Electric feed-in meter or bidirectional electric meter

Instructions

- 1
  Call the utility company to have a service technician examine your meter and explain the steps you must take to safely and legally convert your meter to a two-way device. In some cases, the technician will have to remove and install the meters.
- 2
  Call a licensed electrician to turn off the power entering your house, if the utility technician does not do it.
- 3
  Install either a bi-directional meter or a supplemental outgoing meter, depending on the requirements of your local utility company.
- 4
  Connect your solar or wind power system to the outgoing meter. This normally involves connecting the inverter, which converts the DC power of the solar system to AC power, to a switch box, which allows you use the power directly or feed it back to the grid. The switch box is then wired to the outgoing side of the bidirectional meter or the dedicated feed-in meter, which will feed your excess power to the grid.
- 5
  Call both the electrician and utility company to have the meters inspected and the wiring inspected and the power turned back on.

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