So you are thinking about getting into a career in the electric utility industry and you are not really sure what you want to do. There are several career paths that you could choose. A few are power lineman, or engineer, or even maintenance mechanic. What I want to persuade you to do is to think about becoming an electric Meter Technicians.
The electric meter technician is possibly a job that you have never even heard of. In addition, you may have never given any thought to becoming one. So what does and electric meter technician do?
Well, contrary to popular belief, metering technicians do more than just read watthour meters. We are not just “meter maids” as some lineman would have you think. Electric meter technicians do read electric watthour meters. But we meter techs also do much more than that.
To be an electric meter technician one should have, or be able to develop, a strong electrical background. Furthermore, you will want to have graduated high school. In addition, if possible, have taken some college courses in electrical theory. It would be even better if you could get an associate’s degree in electrical technology. This education will be helpful in understanding how watthour meters work and in understanding some of the more technical things like phasors. It will also help in understanding how the entire electric utility works as a whole.
Electric meter technicians test watthour electric meters either in the shop with test equipment or in the field with watthour meter test equipment. They also check residential, commercial and industrial metering installations for proper wiring and metering accuracy. There are field meter technicians who specialize in some of these areas. Some meter technicians only deal with residential metering installations and customers. Others deal only with commercial and industrial customers. While others may only stay in the shop and test watthour meters.
The ideal electric meter technician will be able to work outside all day. Outside the field meter technician will do things such as change out electric meters, check on high bill complaints, low consumption or stopped meter orders. Meter techs will also work outside installing new metering equipment on instrument rated metering applications.
The electric meter technician will also be called upon to explain billing to customers and have experience dealing with the public.
Many times customers do not understand their bill and the meter technician is usually the last person the customer will talk to. The customer has normally already called in and talked to someone on the phone. They were not satisfied over the phone and now want to talk with someone in person. The meter technician is that someone. Because of this the meter tech will need to have strong interpersonal skills to be able to answer the customer’s questions. In addition they will also need to be as professional as possible. You do not want to go out a customer’s residence or business dressed like a slob. That ruins your credibility right away.
Electric meter technicians will also need to be able to perform above basic tasks on the computer. Part of the job requires the meter technician to be able to program watthour meters, download information from the meters, create new programs for the meters as well as run reports out of the billing system to find out if there are any errors. You will need to have an eye for detail. Many times you will be looking for something that stands out as unusual. Being able to determine from that information if there is a problem that needs to be checked and repaired is crucial.
An ability to do algebra also comes in handy as well. Electric meter technicians also use many formulas to complete their work. If current transformers and potential transformers need to be installed you will need to know how to calculate the meter multiplier. Also, you will need to know how to size the current transformers to the service to be metered. Another thing that you will need to be able to do is calculate and electric bill with demand. Many times customers will not understand demand. So it will be up to you to explain it to them in a way they can understand. There will be times that you will need to explain the math to the customer so that they understand what is going on.
Being a meter technician is a highly rewarding career. Notice that I said career and not job. The electric meter technician is a specialized field and most who are in the field work until retirement. Which also means that there are not a ton of jobs available. So when you get one, keep it! Also worth noting is that it will typically take between 5-7 years to become fully proficient as a meter technician. But even then you will constantly be learning new technology.
So, with that I hope that you give the electric meter technician career a chance.