Meters and meter-reading
Hydro‑Québec meters measure and record the amount of electricity you consume.
Types of meters
Communicating meter
Communicating meters are part of Hydro‑Québec’s basic service and are free for all customers. The main advantage of this technology is that the meter remotely forwards the electricity-use data to our systems.
In recent years, Hydro‑Québec has modernized its meter fleet. Over 3.9 million communicating meters have been installed to date, which is 98% of the total to be replaced.
Advantages of the communicating meter
- Your bills are based on your actual consumption data rather than on estimates, as could happen with the old technology.
- If your meter is indoors or hard to get to, you won’t have to be home to let a meter reader in.
- You can track your electricity use and manage it wisely.
- There are no installation or monthly meter-reading fees.
Safe installation
The meters, which belong to Hydro‑Québec, and their installation must meet a set of technical requirements to be compliant and safe.
You must also ensure that the meter is accessible so that we can test it or replace it, if necessary.
Required height and clearance
The meter socket must be installed with the center of its opening 1.2 m to 1.6 m above finished floor/grade level (Section 6.3) or above a permanent platform (Section 5.11). Also, a clearance of at least 1 m free from any temporary or permanent obstruction must be provided in front of the metering equipment (Section 5.7).
Non-communicating meter
You can choose to have a non-communicating meter installed, provided all the prerequisite conditions have been met. This option entails having a Hydro‑Québec employee travel to your premises to obtain your consumption data. Note that only the account holder can make this request.
A one-time $85 installation fee applies, followed by a monthly $2.50 fee (prorated according to your billing cycle). In the interest of fairness, Hydro‑Québec must ask customers who choose this option to cover the additional manual reading costs associated with the use of a non-communicating meter.
More about the prerequisite conditions for installing a non-communicating meter [PDF 4.69 MB]
If you opt for a non-communicating meter, your electricity bill will be based on your estimated electricity use during the periods between scheduled meter readings.
At any time, you can ask to have the non-communicating meter replaced free of charge with a communicating meter. To do so, simply contact our customer services at 514 385-7252 or 1 888 385-7252.
Determining the type of meter installed and understanding the information displayed
It is easy to determine what type of meter Hydro‑Québec has installed. Begin by checking the identification number on the meter.
If the number starts with:
- G, the meter is communicating.
- X, the meter is non-communicating.
- any other alphanumeric characters, it’s an old-generation meter and Hydro‑Québec will contact you when it’s time to install a communicating meter.
Standards and requirements regarding meter accuracy
Industry Canada and Measurement Canada
Meters must meet strict requirements to ensure that they accurately measure the electricity used. To be used for billing purposes, the meters installed by Hydro‑Québec must be approved by Measurement Canada and have successfully passed Hydro‑Québec’s certification process, which is recognized as one of the most stringent in North America.
Hydro‑Québec must therefore periodically remove its meters for testing or replacement, to ensure that they remain accurate and compliant with the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act and its regulations.
Manual readings of electricity use data
In order to manually read a non-communicating or old-generation meter and bill you for your actual consumption, Hydro‑Québec must have access to the meter at all times.
Manual reading frequency
- For contracts under which only energy consumption is billed: at least once a year.
- For contracts under which power demand and energy consumption are both billed: approximately every 30 days.
- For distant and/or hard-to-reach installations: at least once a year.
- For meters that are inaccessible or to which Hydro‑Québec does not have the accesses provided for in Section 14.3 of the Conditions of Service [PDF 4.69 MB] : no minimum frequency applies.
A proper meter reading guarantees that you receive a bill based on your actual consumption as opposed to an estimate. Ensure that Hydro‑Québec’s personnel can access your meter.
Submitting the reading of a non-communicating or old-generation meter
You must submit a meter reading to Hydro‑Québec when:
- you move out of a residence that does not have a communicating meter
- you move in to a residence that does not have a communicating meter
- you receive a letter or a meter-reading card and the meter installed at your residence is not a communicating meter
If your contract is subject to a rate under which only energy is billed, you can take the meter reading yourself and submit it to Hydro‑Québec for billing purposes. A Hydro‑Québec employee will still need to record your electricity use data in person at least once a year.
Record the meter reading
If your meter is mechanical or electromechanical, your actual consumption is indicated by the meter’s four dials (thousands, hundreds, tens and ones). These dials measure kilowatthours (kWh).
The pointer position is read on the four dials from left to right. If the pointer is between two digits, take the smaller of the two unless it is between 9 and 0, in which case the reading is 9. Below are two examples of readings from an electromechanical meter—characterized by its spinning disc and multiples dials.
Finding the meter number
To submit your meter reading, you’ll need the meter number. If you received a meter-reading card, the number is written on it. Otherwise, refer to the pictures below, which show where the meter number is located on different models.
How to submit the reading of a non-communicating or old-generation meter
If you received a letter or a meter-reading card, you can submit your reading in three ways.
For dual-energy meters, refer to How can I take a reading from a non-communicating meter.
1. Online by logging into My Customer Space
Submit a meter reading
Log into your Customer Space to submit a meter reading.
If you don’t already have a Customer Space, now’s the time to create it!
- Log in
- Create My Customer Space
Click for more information on the Customer Space
What will you need?
- Contract holder: Your most recent bill.
- Proxy holder or account manager: A recent bill of the account you manage.
2. Online without logging into My Customer Space
You can submit your meter reading online without logging into My Customer Space by clicking on the link below.
3. By phone
You can also submit your meter reading by calling one of the numbers below.
- Montréal: 514 385‑8464
- Elsewhere: 1 877 385‑8464
If you’re moving, you can submit your last reading, your first reading, or both, as applicable, by clicking on one of the following links.
To help you read your meter, display or print cards as PDF files.
Other useful information
Certification process
The certification process involves 24 physical and electrical tests: temperature variation, electrical discharge, impact from different angles, etc. Hydro-Québec performs these tests to ensure that the meters measure and send our customers’ energy consumption data reliably and very safely, regardless of the weather.
Handrail
Barrier to be held onto for support and for preventing falls.