Have you noticed your electric meter lately? If you have, you may have noticed a change. The Siloam Springs Electric Department has launched a program that will enhance our meter reading as well as the overall accuracy of the electric billing process.
New LCD Display
A key part of this program is a new type of electric meter that you may have noticed on your home. These new meters look like the older ones, but that is where the similarity stops. They feature an LCD display for the kilowatt-hours, solid-state circuitry, and a microprocessor to calculate your electric usage. These meters have many of the same features as your home computer. They can even alert the Electric Department if they have been tampered with.
How the Meters are Read
The feature that will benefit both the city and the homeowners the most is the manner in which these meters are read. Inside the meter is a miniature radio transmitter that sends the meter reading to a hand-held device that the meter reader carries. This not only insures that the readings are accurate, it also speeds up the process considerably. The meter can communicate with the reading device from several hundred feet away. If you haven't seen the meter reader at your house lately, don't worry; your meter is being read accurately on a regular basis.