How to Test an MTEC Electric Meter

The Middle Tennessee Electric Corp.’s electric meters are no different from the meters of other utility companies. The devices record your home’s electricity consumption; MTEC monitors and bills you for electricity used based on periodic readings of the electric meter. If your electric bills have increased but you believe your electricity consumption has not, you may want to test the accuracy of your MTEC electric meter to ensure you’re not paying for electricity you didn't use.

Electric heater or other electrical appliance
Paper
Pen or pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Choose an appliance, such as an electric heater, that uses a consistent amount of electricity. Turn off all other electrical appliances in your home and set the test appliance to its highest temperature setting.
- 2
  Review the owner’s manual to determine the wattage of the appliance you have selected. For instance, if your heater uses 4,000 watts per hour (4 kilowatts) at the highest setting, this is what your electric meter uses to measure electricity consumption, which MTEC bills in kilowatt-hours. Write this figure down.
- 3
  Read your electric meter, and record the figure next to the wattage you recorded for your test appliance.
- 4
  Turn on the test appliance, noting the exact time you turned did so. Let the appliance run for 30 minutes.
- 5
  Shut off the test appliance and read the meter again, making a note of the reading.
- 6
  Subtract the meter’s second reading from its first reading. This will give you the number of watts consumed while the appliance was running. If the figure is off by over 5 percent, have your meter professionally tested.

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