Charlotte County Utilities
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
(941) 764-4300 ~ (800) 524-3494 ~ TDD: (941) 764-4535
Reading Your Meter
Your water meter looks like the diagram below. To determine your water usage for one month, locate your meter (usually in the ground in the yard). Make a note of the odometer-type numbers, reading them from left to right. About one month later, take another reading. Then calculate the total by subtracting the previous reading from the current reading. In the following example, the first reading was April 28th. On that date, the meter total read 029911. On May 28th, the meter read 027941.
029911 (current)
-027941 (previous)
1970 gal. or 1,000 gal. billed
~ Diagram of a water meter ~
One revolution of the sweep hand indicates
10 gallons have gone through the meter.
CCU bills water usage in increments of 1,000 gallons, always rounding down to the nearest thousand (never up). So, although the actual reading was 1,970 gallons, the customer would only be billed for 1,000 gallons. The remaining 970-gallon portion is carried over to the next meter reading, billed after the customer's usage increases the 970 to over 1,000 gallons.
Each month, CCU meter readers enter the meter reading numbers on an electronic hand-held instrument. These units can withstand rain, hail, and humidity. The unit displays a lot of information, including route number, service address, and meter serial number. To determine the quantity of water used, the meter reader punches in the number displayed on your meter. At the end of her/his day of readings, the employee brings the meter reading device to the office to be automatically downloaded that evening for billing.
As CCU's billing system processes meter readings, it generates reports, flagging accounts that have higher than usual usage. In a quality control effort, we review these reports daily and may call to alert the customer about unusual usage. The customer may be aware of atypical usage, such as a pool was filled or guests visited. Other times, such as when the customer was unaware of high usage, CCU may issue a work order to investigate possible leaks as quickly as possible.
