Your meter measures how much electricity you use in kilowatt-hours during a given period of time and is the basis for how your electric bill is calculated each month. Your electric bill contains a 13-month graph of electricity consumption, as well as a record of electricity used during the same month of the previous year.
- Your meter number can be found on the face of the meter. It begins with “99” and is 8 digits long. (Example: 99 000 000)
The Co-op’s meter readings are the basis of your monthly billing. If we are unable to read your meter, billing will be estimated until an actual reading is obtained, at which time an adjustment will be made to your account if necessary.
Members have access to detailed data about their energy use in real-time. This helps you identify ways to use less electricity and reduce your monthly bills. Learn more about your mySamHouston online account access.
You also have the option to sign up for myPrePay. There’s no difference in the service you’ll receive—just in how and when you pay for it. When you sign up, you pay as often and as much as you’d like. Learn more.
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s current metering system was successfully implemented in 2015. The meters work similarly to the previous meters on members’ homes and businesses. For many years, meters transmitted readings to a computer in a vehicle as it drove by each month. The new meters instead send those readings directly to the Cooperative via encrypted radio communication.
Meter tampering is a crime that eventually affects everyone.
Why? Because theft of electricity increases everyone’s rates. Unfortunately, it’s the honest customers who end up footing the bill – a bill that costs U.S. consumers an estimated $1 to $2 billion each year. Meter tampering, or attempting to bypass or reconnect electric service without authorization, is a crime that can lead to arrest and conviction.
What’s the worst that could happen when someone attempts to steal electricity? The thief and Co-op personnel can be seriously injured. Meter tampering is dangerous, illegal, and costly. In cases of tampering, the Cooperative reserves the right to disconnect electric service without notice. Furthermore, the Co-op requires costs for the stolen electricity, investigation of the case, and damaged property to be paid in full before service will be reconnected.
At Sam Houston EC, we take meter tampering very seriously and train our personnel to track down and stop energy thieves. But you can help, too. If you suspect someone is stealing electricity, please report it immediately to Sam Houston EC.
Give us a call at (800) 458-0381.
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative tests and inspects our meters regularly to ensure a high standard of accuracy. The electric meter is one of the most accurate measuring devices ever created. If you have a question regarding your meter’s accuracy, however, you may contact the Cooperative to request your meter be tested.
There is no cost for this service, provided the same meter has not been tested at the member's request within the last 4 years. If a meter has been tested within the last 4 years at the member’s request and is found to be functioning properly, a service charge of $75 will be assessed for single-phase meters and $150 for three-phase meters.
It is a rare occasion to find that a meter is running fast. More commonly, as meters get older, they slow down. In these cases, a meter will allow more electricity to pass through it than it records. If a meter is found to be registering over or under 2% of the normal conditions of the member’s electric load, the member’s electric bill will be adjusted up or down to reflect the correction.