Meter Reader plea to folks of the area!

[SerenityRick]

Definitely a little late for this winter as the snow (finally) is melting away but every year as an electric meter reader I notice a lot of people just don't make any kind of effort to make a path to their meter.

I see plenty of paths for the oil guy but I really think some people simply forget meter readers exist. I definitely don't mean that as an insult or anything, I'm in and out of driveways in less than 30 seconds sometimes. I've been reading meters for 4 years now and there are still places I've been without ever seeing the owner haha

Of course I understand that after a huge storm is nigh impossible or just plain annoying to shovel out so much snow and I understand that but I thought I'd try and get the word out. These past two winters have been brutal for us and for everyone.

Also, we just read the meter. We know nothing about billing or how those crazy numbers are translated into dollars or why your bill is higher than the previous month and it certainly isn't our fault if you get charged more than you should so try not to berate your friendly meter reader
We also aren't electricians, hehe.. had someone ask me if I could come in and fix their lamp once. I would of if I could but I'm not very handy.

on a brighter note, reading meters in the spring/summer(save for the heat) and fall is beautiful in the lakes region.
My name is Rick and I read the areas of Meredith, Center Harbor, Moultonboro, Long Island, Tuftonboro, Melvin Village and such so say hi if you see me! (i'm a big guy but i'm quick, heh)
It will be a sad day when that fiber optic wireless meter reading dealy-o is finally put into place and we lose our jobs but that's technology for you I guess.

Alright, sorry for the long post! Have a good spring!

EDIT- Sheesh! Almost forgot! To all of you who do make a path for us thank you sooo much! You have no idea how great it is to use a path after making your way through chest high snow all day. Well maybe you do but hopefully not

[ApS]

Originally Posted by SerenityRick

"...My name is Rick and I read the areas of Meredith, Center Harbor, Moultonboro, Long Island, Tuftonboro, Melvin Village and such so say hi if you see me...It will be a sad day when that fiber optic wireless meter reading dealy-o is finally put into place and we lose our jobs but that's technology for you I guess..."

1) As I read this, I suspected you didn't read the meters in Wolfeboro: Here, they omit reading in the winter altogether and charge $5 each month they "skip" the reading. (Then slam us with a ~$400 bill in April!)

2) I also have an easy pathway to the meter, but the Wolfeboro meter-reader charges down an impossibly-steep embankment as though he was a moose!

3) "Wireless" has finally reached my Florida home's water meter, but they still need someone to scan the meter!

[Lakesrider]

How about making up some little index cards witha polite, "Please shovel for the Meter Reader" On it. The Poastal Person in Nashua leaves us a little note if he can't make it to the box on the road.

[Kerk]

With the new electronics there are meters that can be read from the office. They may be a bit pricy but they work and have a lot of capability. Our local Electric co. just changed over all meters and they are working out fine. jmho.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by Kerk

With the new electronics there are meters that can be read from the office. They may be a bit pricey but they work and have a lot of capability. Our local Electric co. just changed over all meters and they are working out fine. jmho.

While converting meters to be read from the office makes sense for the electric company long term, I don't think that SerenityRick would like to be out of a job!

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

1)

2) I also have an easy pathway to the meter, but the Wolfeboro meter-reader charges down an impossibly-steep embankment as though he was a moose!

I know what you mean APS. You should have seen the meter reader that I encountered on the island. Scared the bejeebers out of me as she loped down a section of embankment that she had no business being on. If she got herself hurt on our property being stupid like that, are we liable?

[Dave R]

We got a thank you card this year for keeping our meter area and path free of snow. Thought that was kinda cool.

[chipj29]

My meter is on the back side of my house, on the side of the house that never sees human activity. I never even think about the meter, let alone clearing a path to it. In fact, I have never seen footprints going to it in the snow. I wonder if Unitil is just estimating each monthly usage? If they are, wouldn't it say so on the bill?

[Rose]

Originally Posted by chipj29

I wonder if Unitil is just estimating each monthly usage? If they are, wouldn't it say so on the bill?

Not sure about where you are, but where I am in North Central Mass, Unihell reads the meters electronically. There was much outrage over the estimated readings they had to generate when the ice storm in December made it impossible for them to read the meters over the power lines that lay on the ground for days and days and days....

[Lakegeezer]

Why not have the meter reader to leave a card or have the company send out an email or card if there is too much snow. Ask the owner to read the meter themselves and phone or web it in. Fraud would not be an issue, because eventually, the snow melts and the meter reader returns for an update.

[EricP]

You can log into the Coop's website and submit a meter reading any time you want to, it's a feature they have. You just have to set up an account, then of course remember to do it on or before your billing cycle end date. Make sure you record the numbers properly. I made a mistake one month and got a huge bill, I realized I made a mistake and called them, they took the new reading over the phone and I made a more reasonable payment based on what it should be.

[SerenityRick]

Thanks for the comments!

As for the thank you cards, we actually do have a stack of those and if door is somewhat close the meter/on our way back to our truck we definitely try and leave it. Unfortunately we read so many meters a day that even if we veer and take a little extra time to put thank you cards at every door our route would literally take an extra hour or more longer. It sounds crazy but it's true.
I know every route like the back of my hand and some routes STILL take me 10+ hours in the summer.

As for huge piles of snow (and even depending on the consistency of the snow itself) we'll sometimes skip it if there's no path or if a snowplow just covers it completely. I'm not sure if they mark on the bill to let the customers know it was estimated though. I'd imagine it would

The thing about the whole reading the meters from the office is that our contracting company is so cheap that it costs the Co-op less to continue renewing our contract than to integrate a multi-million dollar infrastructure that even when it's done will still need some kind of maintenence. I'm sure in the long run (really long run) it will end up saving everyone money but in this economy I don't think it will be replacing us anytime soon. hopefully.. it's brutal out there! hehe.

Yes I don't read wolfeboro, just the co-op meters and I think wolfeboro has their own electric company thing going on. Tuftonboro is as close as I get. way out in the boonies! Lots of seasonal places on that route, it seems as though I end up skipping half of it in the winter because so many roads just aren't plowed.

Originally Posted by Lakegeezer

Why not have the meter reader to leave a card or have the company send out an email or card if there is too much snow. Ask the owner to read the meter themselves and phone or web it in. Fraud would not be an issue, because eventually, the snow melts and the meter reader returns for an update.

the co-op does send letters every year I believe asking "members" to try and clear a path but some people don't listen/don't read/don't notice.
Sometimes it's frustrating because some people will snowblow a path right to the oil tank and pile all the snowblown snow right in front of the meter and forget about poor ol' us

And yes some meters I end up skipping specifically because the owners like to read it themselves (or it's inside their house/garage and we can't get to it). They usually get cards that they mail in but as someone else stated, apparently you can do it online, that's pretty neat!

[SerenityRick]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

I know what you mean APS. You should have seen the meter reader that I encountered on the island. Scared the bejeebers out of me as she loped down a section of embankment that she had no business being on. If she got herself hurt on our property being stupid like that, are we liable?

Nah you're not liable. I've been hurt plenty of times and if there was a path it's our fault if we don't look for it or use it.

You'd never believe how agile we have to be sometimes even in the summer! Climbing over rock walls, climbing up banks, jumping from rock to rock if it's flooded, running as fast as humanly possible if an aggressive dog surprises us.. just a few of the stuff we deal with.

keeps things interesting that's for sure. never boring!

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Kerk

With the new electronics there are meters that can be read from the office. They may be a bit pricy but they work and have a lot of capability. Our local Electric co. just changed over all meters and they are working out fine. jmho.

Everybody will someday have these. Maybe "up north" a little later than other places but they are definitely coming. If I was Rick and only 20 yrs old I wouldn't plan on retiring on that job. Just a sad fact of life.

[SerenityRick]

I'm just hoping they don't make the switch for at least another year and a half for when my fiancee graduates from graduate school. At least I/we'll have a bit of a buffer haha

[Bear Islander]

Sorry, I didn't get out to Bear Island to shovel out the meter this winter.

Do you do the Meredith islands as well?

I always put my meter in up-side-down for the winter. So if you get to my place early this spring please turn it right-side-up. Thanks.

[SerenityRick]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

Sorry, I didn't get out to Bear Island to shovel out the meter this winter.

Do you do the Meredith islands as well?

I always put my meter in up-side-down for the winter. So if you get to my place early this spring please turn it right-side-up. Thanks.

I think for the houses on the small islands they only read the meters once or twice a year and our company doesn't read them. Personally the only islands I read are Long Island and Black Cat Island

As for upside down meters, unsure if you're joking or not (haha) but we don't actually mess with the meters as we're not technitians or anything. I've seen some meters upside-down and was never sure why..