Smart Meters

Austin Energy has modernized our electric grid by replacing mechanical electric meters with state-of-the-art smart meters.

A smart grid helps us:

• Serve you better
• Improve reliability and efficiency
• Save scarce resources
• Protect the environment

How a Smart Meter Works

A smart meter is an electronic hardware device that uses advanced metering infrastructure software to measure the amount of electricity used and at what time of day. Smart meters send this information to Austin Energy by way of radio frequency waves.

How to Read a Smart Meter

You can easily read your own smart meter. An exact kilowatt hour (kWh) digital read is displayed on the face of the meter, alternating with “88888.”

This makes it easy to see how much power you are using and to get an updated meter read.

Access to Meters

Even though manual meter reads are no longer required with smart meters, Austin Energy meter staff may need access to your property and smart meter if issues arise.

If you are contacted about our need to access your property, please be sure to:

• Unlock any gates needed for access
• Remove debris from around your meter — City of Austin regulations require three feet of clearance in front of meters
• Contain dogs and other animals

Advantage of Smart Meters

The upgraded smart meters offer many advantages. Eventually, they will allow us to provide next-generation services, including:

• Remote meter reading
• Faster outage response
• Advanced billing, payment, and energy-management options

They were installed at no extra charge to our customers.

If you have questions, please call 512-494-9400.