Frequently Asked Questions
Here's a short course on reading your net meter and production meter, and more importantly, making sense of what you're reading.
Reading your net meter
- Look at the numbers on the right. The meter will scroll through several sets of numbers. The pictured meter reads '888'. This is a display segment check. It's merely so that you can see that all the LCD segments that make up the numbers are displaying properly. All numerals across the entire display will be 8's.
- Next the meter will read '002'. This reading is the energy, in kWh, delivered from the utility to the customer.
- Some meters will next read '003'. Disregard this reading.
- Next the meter will read '006'. This display is the kWh received by the utility from the customer -- the excess net energy produced by the customer's renewable energy system.
- There are two sets of arrows on your net meter. Disregard the lower arrow. The upper arrow indicates the present state of your PV system. A left arrow indicates that you are generating more power than you are using and the utility is receiving power from your renewable energy system. This will increase the '006' value on your meter. A right arrow indicates that the utility is delivering power to you, thus increasing the '002' value.
Reading your production meter
- As on the net meter, the important readings on your production meter are '002' and '006'.
- The display corresponding with '002' on your production meter is the total energy, in kWh, generated, or delivered, by your renewable energy system.
- The '006' display on the production meter is the kWh your system has used, or received from the grid. This normally will be zero. For battery-based systems there may be a small number.
- Most PSE–installed production meters for battery–based systems have a “x 10” multiplier. That is, the displayed readings must be multiplied by 10 to get the actual values. Meter multipliers are noted on the meter faceplates. Production incentive and Green Tag payments are based on the '002' energy values minus the '006' energy values.
We know that's a lot to remember. So here is a .pdf document that you can print and take out to your meters with you.