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Florida Public Utilities’ Meter Readers are on the front line providing quality
customer service to our customers. Our Meter Readers wear shirts bearing the FPU
logo, and always have their ID badges readily available.
FPU needs your help in protecting our Meter Readers so they can deliver our customers
reliable service.
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Access to Your Meter
FPU professional meter readers read your meter regularly.
Our meter readers have learned to read a meter as quickly and accurately as you can read your watch. However, to read your meter, they must be able to get in. To make sure that your bill is based on an exact reading each month, please don't let dogs, locked doors and gates, shrubs or other obstacles keep our meter reader away from your meter.
If we are unable to get to your meter, we estimate the amount of gas you used. Any inaccuracies in the estimate will be corrected in the bill for the following month. The Florida Public Service Commission requires an actual read every three months. Since we read more than 98 percent of our meters every month, billing based on estimates is rare.
Your meter is a precise measuring device that meets strict government standards. We also check your meter regularly and repair it when necessary. As an additional safeguard, our computer compares your bill with the month's weather patterns, current gas rates and the billing history of your residence.
Meter Reader Safety
In order to ensure safe access for our meter readers, we would like our customers
to following the following guidelines:
- Ensure that the area around your meter is clean and free of any debris or obstacles;
- Remove brush, plants or shrubs that may be hazardous for our meter readers;
- If you have a dog, please make sure that it is secured or restrained, so FPU can efficiently obtain an accurate meter reading;
- Unlock any gates that may prohibit access to your meter.
To guarantee accurate billing, please ensure that FPU Meter Readers can access customer meters safely and efficiently.
What to do to Prevent Dog Bites
Because so many of our customers have dogs, FPU Meter Readers are trained in dog-bite
prevention. In addition to following certain rules to keep them safe, our Meter
Readers carry dog-bite prevention tools: a stick with a tennis ball on the end,
or an umbrella that provides a barrier between the dog and the Meter Reader so the
Meter Reader has time to escape. FPU Meter Readers also carry a dog-repellant spray
for use as a last resort in self-defense when they fear a dog bite is imminent.
On Meter Reading Day Your Help is Needed
- Secure your dog on meter reading day.
- Please DO NOT secure your dog to the meter, or in the area of the meter
- Review your bill to estimate when the following month's meter read
date will occur. Typically FPU reads meters around the same time each
month. Please allow for a 3-day window for your meter to be read.
Providing a safe environment for FPU employees to do their job will help protect
them from serious injuries and the associated liability to dog owners if one of
our employees is unexpectedly injured.
Contact Us When You Get a New Dog
If you don’t have a dog now, but are planning
to, please contact us once you do. We will note your account, making our employees
aware of your new pet. Please help us keep our FPU employees safe so they can continue
to provide you with the most accurate meter reading and exceptional technical service.
Reading Your Meter
You can take your own monthly readings by looking at the top row of four dials from
right to left. The two dials marked "two feet" and "one half foot" are for test
purposes and do not affect the reading of your bill.
Starting with the
far right dial,
write down the
number that each
dial hand has just
passed.
(see illustration) |
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Notice that some of the dials rotate clockwise while others move counterclockwise.
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One month later, repeat this step. To determine how much gas you used, simply subtract
the previous reading from the current one.
Please contact your local FPU office if
you have any questions about your meter readings.
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