A CWLP meter reader in action.
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 The CWLP Customer Service Office maintains a staff of meter readers charged with taking monthly readings, when possible, of all customer water and electric meters. Your meter(s) is read on or about the same date of each month. This enables you to be assigned a billing cycle, by which the Customer Service Office can track exactly what your statement mail-out and payment due dates will be in any given month.

For more information about meter reading, contact the CWLP Customer Service Office or select any of the underlined topics below. If a topic is not underlined, it is not yet accessible. The CWLP website is undergoing continuous updating and expansion, so if the subject you are interested in is not yet available, please check back soon.

WHY METERS AREN'T READ
READING YOUR OWN METERS

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Why Meters Aren't Read
Although meter readers are supposed to have free and unimpeded access to CWLP meters at all times, there are times when such access is not available, making it impossible for the meter(s) to be read. If your meter(s) cannot be read, your electric and water usage will be estimated.

Some examples of situations that make it impossible for meter readers to gain access to meters include:

  • Plants, debris, and other material that block access to or a view of the meter. Customers are responsible for removing any vegetation or materials around meters that make it impossible for the meters to be safely and accurately read.
  • Meters located behind locked fences or inside buildings. If you cannot always be available to let the meter reader into a fenced yard or basement, you can - if you wish - provide CWLP with a key to the fence or building. Your key will be coded so that the matching address would not be evident to anyone other than the meter reader. For more information about these options, contact the Customer Service Office.
  • Unrestrained animals. Dogs or other pets that have the potential to cause bodily harm to CWLP employees are another reason your meter might not be read. For the sake of the meter reader, your pet and yourself, please keep your animals properly restrained so they do not pose a threat and so your meter can be read regularly.
  • Inclement weather. Sometimes, the blame for our inability to read your meter lies with Mother Nature. Certain weather conditions - including extremely high or low temperatures or severe storms - can occasionally force our meter readers to skip your meter's monthly read.

Regular, actual meter readings are a requirement of continued service. If your meter has been estimated for three or more consecutive months, CWLP may begin to overestimate your consumption. This is our way of calling your attention to the fact that we are experiencing a meter-reading problem at your property. You will also be notified of the need to make an appointment to have your meter read by our Field Investigator. If you fail to do so, you could risk interruption of your service. You can set up an appointment with the Field Investigator by calling 789-2030.

Reading Your Own Meter
Residential customers who wish to do so may read their own meters and provide those readings to the Customer Service Office on a regular monthly schedule. (This option is not available to business customers due to the complexity of your meters.)  Our publication titled How to Read Your Own Meter contains instructions on how to conduct an accurate reading.  You can access this publication online by clicking here (to open this publication, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free by clicking on the "Get Adobe Reader" icon near the bottom of this page).  For a printed version of How To Read Your Own Meter, contact the Customer Service Office.

  1. Meter readings may be reported using postage-paid meter reading cards available for this purpose.  To obtain a supply of these cards, as well as instructions on how to read your electric and water meters, contact the Customer Service Office.

  2. Meter readings may be reported by phone by calling 789-2030.  Press option 3 for "meter readings" and answer each of the four questions asked by the recording.  After each response, press the #key.  Please be sure you call within 24 hours of reading your meter.

  3. Meter readings may be reported online.  The online Reporting Your Own Meter Reading form is available both as a Word document and PDF.  To use the Word version, your computer should be equipped with Microsoft Word.  CWLP does not recommend attempting to complete and submit the Word form electronically using any other word processing software.  You can open, fill in and print out the PDF form using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free by clicking on the icon below.  However, in order to submit the PDF form electronically, your computer will need to be equipped with Adobe Acrobat 5.0 (or a later version) or Adobe Acrobat Approvals 5.0.

 

Form Name
Reporting Your Own Meter Reading (Word)
Reporting Your Own Meter Reading (PDF)

 

 

Even if you regularly read your own meter and provide the results to CWLP, you must also allow CWLP to periodically validate your consumption. These validations by the Customer Service Office's Field Investigator are required every three months. To set up an appointment with the Field Investigator, call 789-2030.

 

Last update: 01/07/08

 

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