• Your electricity meter measures and records the number of kilowatthours you use.
• It does not consume any electricity.
• The meter is a high-precision instrument whose sturdy construction guarantees many years of reliable service.
• An independent government agency is responsible for making sure that its calibration and operating mechanism comply with existing standards.

Your meter keeps a running total of the kWh you consume, much like the odometer in your vehicle. It is equipped with a horizontal disk and four dials. The digits 0 to 9 appear on each dial.

• When you consume electricity, the disk rotates, driving a tiny sprocket wheel which in turn moves the pointer on the first, or units, dial.
• After one complete turn, the pointer on the units dial activates the dial on the second, or tens, dial.
• The hundreds and thousands dials are activated in the same way.

Your consumption is calculated on the basis of the readings on the four dials.

To determine how much electricity you have consumed, Hydro-Québec calculates the difference between your current meter reading and the previous one.

The difference is then multiplied by the number indicated on your meter, known as the multiplier. In most cases, the multiplier is 10 (MULT 10).

The result is equal to the number of kilowatthours you have used since your last bill was issued.

Note: If the pointer is between two digits, the smaller number is retained. The only exception to this rule is if it points between 9 and 0, in which case the reading is 9.

Here's an example:

Number of kilowatthours billed = 2 230