Each month, your water meter is read to determine your water consumption for billing purposes. Most water meters are located in the basement or crawl space of a single-family home. Other water meters may be located inside a plastic cylinder known as a meter pit (below ground). The meter pit can be found near the street by the sidewalk.
All water meters in Osceola are conveniently read by remote equipment so you do not have to be available to let an Osceola Water Works Operator into your home. If your meter is located in your home and easily accessible, you may compare the readings located on your utility bill with the readings on the water meter. However, if your meter is in a meter pit, you will need to contact Osceola Water Works to view your water meter.
There are generally two different types of meters. Most commonly used is a straight-reading meter that looks like an odometer. The second type is a round-reading meter that has several different dials in the face of the meter. The straight-reading meter is the most common and the easiest to read. (See photo)
Similar to the odometer on your car, you can read the numbers from left to right, showing the total amount of water that has been run through the meter. Osceola’s water meters read usage by the gallon. Each month, the reading of the meter is compared to the previous month’s reading and a calculation of the consumption is then charged to the customer. The billing you receive each month is for a minimum usage of 2,000 gallons plus any additional consumption.
It’s a good idea to learn how to read your meter. In an instance where you feel there is more consumption than normal, you can check your home for water leaks. In future posts, we will explore tips and tricks to discovering a leak and ways to stop it once found.
