Every month I have clients call that they received a notice from Duke Energy (the local gas and electric utility) or from the Water Works, asking for access to check their equipment. People often are confused why we get these requests. 

The reason is twofold – equipment upgrades or checking for leaks. In years past, a “Meter Reader” would go door to door every month reading the gas and electric and water meters. They went in every property monthly and manually read the meter so they could bill you. If you were not home, they did an estimated bill based on your history.

Technology has changed this, and new meter technology lets them read the meter without entering the building. At first it was a separate little box they attached to meters or in the case of electricity, they had a way to read it though the electric wires. Early versions put out a signal and the utility had to have someone drive down the street to get the meter reading. Over time these devices have changed, and newer versions can be read remotely anytime.

I recently got a letter from the Water Works about my house. The man came and was able to pop off the top of the meter and replace it with the new top that has a transmitter built in. It took him less than 5 minutes to make the upgrade. Then he cut off the wire to the o
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