Shut off your main circuit breaker(s) and look at your meter. It should be stopped and everything in your home should be off and unable to be turned on. If the meter is still moving, something is wired into your meter base in addition to your main service panel and you should find out what it is. An example of this may be an outbuilding that is serviced off the meter, but doesn’t go through your main circuit breaker. Any wire that runs to such a building is your responsibility and may have a fault in it. Turn your main circuit breaker back on.

Starting in the kitchen and with a pad of paper and pencil in hand, shut off or unplug everything in the home, noting down each appliance that you shut off so that you remember to turn it on again later. While you are writing down the appliances you are turning off, also note the wattage of the appliance and the approximate number of hours it is on each day. Use this information to complete the worksheet from Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op.

When you are finished the meter should be stopped. If not, you forgot something or there is something you don’t know about. Turn the appliances back on one at a time. After you turn on each appliance, go to the meter and see how quickly the wheel on the meter is turning. If one appliance makes the wheel turn faster then others, you should look specifically at that appliance for faults or malfunctions.