Smart metering

If you're an Enersource customer, your hydro meter is probably a smart meter. A smart meter looks like an older hydro meter except the display is digital and there are no dials. You'll find your smart meter outside along the wall of your house or in your basement. If you live in an apartment or condominium, your meter is probably centrally located with the meters of other tenants.

Smart meters help you conserve and manage energy by measuring your electricity use every hour and sending a reading of it to Enersource every day. This helps you track your electricity use.

And when Time-of-Use (TOU) rates come into effect in your area of  Mississauga, you'll be able to take advantage of lower rates during non-peak times of use.

 

 

Reading your smart meter

Your energy use

A smart meter uses digital numbers to record your energy use. The number on this meter shows that a total of 10460 kilowatt hours (kWh) have been used.

The black square below the number blinks when energy is being used. The faster it blinks, the faster the consumption.

The arrow next to the square tells you which direction energy is flowing: pointing right, it means energy is flowing into your home.

Association numbers

You'll also see a number on the smart meter called an association number, like the example to the left. The association number identifies the neighbourhood collector meter — this is a central meter that gathers readings from several hundred homes in one area. The collector meter then sends all those readings to Enersource.

Error messages

If you see a number on your smart meter starting with an 'E', like the example to the left, there might be a problem with the meter. If that happens, call Enersource Customer Service at
905-273-7425.

Test messages

You sometimes might see everything on your smart meter light up with 8s. This is to test that the meter is working correctly. It has no effect on your energy reading. You should know that Enersource has a rigorous meter-testing program. All electricity meters must meet federal government regulations and may be checked by government inspectors to ensure readings are accurate.

How smart meters work

• Your smart meter measures the energy you use every hour, and sends a reading of it to a collector meter, which sends it to Enersource every day using wireless communication.
• Enersource then sends the information to a central storage facility that collects meter readings from homes across Ontario.
• This information helps Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) understand where electricity is being used.
• When everyone switches to TOU rates, you'll be able to view daily readings the next day. This will help you keep a closer watch on energy consumption and cut back on it during peak times of use. We are beginning to roll out TOU rates in Mississauga in 2011. You will be notified in advance of your shift to these rates.

Compare this with older mechanical meters, where you get only one reading for the entire one or two-month
billing period!

To learn more about smart meters, see our frequently asked questions or click on our video:

Behind the Smart Meter (3:27)

If you still have a mechanical meter

A few of our customers may still use mechanical meters. You'll find your meter along the outside wall of your house or in your basement. It's in a grey metal box with a round, glass front that has four dials.

Sometimes we're unable to read your meter — for example, if the meter is blocked or is in your basement and we can't get in to view it.  If that happens, our meter reader will leave a card at your house telling you that we could not get a reading. We then estimate the reading to bill your account.

To read your own mechanical meter

You can take readings of your own meter and email them to Enersource using our online form.

Here's how:

Read the dials from left to right. Some dials have hands that move clockwise and others move counter-clockwise. If a hand is between two numbers, record the lower number. If the hand is between 0 and 9, record the number 9.

Want to switch to a smart meter?

If you don't have a smart meter and would like one, email us at
smartmeter@enersource.com or call 905-273-7425 and we can schedule an installation.