How to Connect a Kilowatt Hour Meter to a House

A kilowatt hour meter measures the wattage drawn from a power source per hour. There is a display on the front of the meter that is read much like a gauge in a car. You can use a kilowatt hour meter to measure the amount of energy your home uses by connecting the meter to your household circuit breaker.

Power drill
Phillips head screwdriver
Black and white, color-coded electrical wire (12- to 22-gauge)

Instructions

- 1
  Place the meter adjacent to your home's breaker panel and secure it to the wall with a power drill and the included screws. Drill the screws into the metal brackets on the sides of the meter then into the wall.
- 2
  Open the household breaker panel and switch the main breaker to the "Off" position to shut off power to your home.
- 3
  Remove the screws on the breaker cover with a Phillips head screwdriver then pull off the cover. This will expose the internal terminals and wiring for the circuit breaker.
- 4
  Locate the terminals in the breaker marked "PC+" and "PC-." These will likely be color-coded, with black denoting the "PC+" terminal and white for the "PC-" terminal.
- 5
  Insert one end of a section of white electrical wire into the "PC-" or neutral terminal and insert the black wire into the "PC+" terminal. The gauge of wire is typically 12 but may go up to 22. Match the existing wiring in the panel to the new wiring.
- 6
  Insert the remaining ends of the wires into the corresponding terminals on the side or bottom of the hour meter.
- 7
  Replace the breaker cover and flip the breaker switch to the "On" position to restore power. The meter is now connected to your home.

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