Straight reading meters display a number on a white background below the words "cubic feet" under the dial. This number represents hundreds of cubic feet, the operational water for meter readers; the last two digits shown on a darker background can be ignored. Each 100 cubic feet equals roughly 750 gallons. Circular reading meters are an older and less common style, consisting of a series of six dials marked off in divisions of ten. They should be read from the largest unit (10,000 cf) to the smallest (one cf). If the hand is between numbers, read the lower number.

Because meters are not reset between readings, you can calculate how much water has been used since the last official reading by subtracting the reading recorded in your last bill from the current reading. For example, if your meter read 135,400 cubic feet (1354 units) a week earlier and today reads 135,600 (135 units), it shows that 200 cubic feet have been used. You then multiply the 200 by 7.5 to determine the gallons used during the week (1500).