Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations.

“Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations.” is a core task performed by Meter Readers, Utilities. Among the occupation's 13 rated tasks, workers place it 9th by importance (#5 most important). About 89% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data. in Processing Information
• Maintain operational records. in Documenting/Recording Information

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E2. Exposure with tools — software built on top of a language model (not the model alone) could cut the time by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.50. Automation potential label: T1.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers. · importance 4.5
• Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled. · importance 4.3
• Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials. · importance 4.3
• Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals. · importance 4.2
• Report to service departments any problems, such as meter irregularities, damaged equipment, or impediments to meter access, including dogs. · importance 4.1
• Leave messages to arrange different times to read meters in cases in which meters are not accessible. · importance 4.0
• Connect and disconnect utility services at specific locations. · importance 4.0
• Answer customers' questions about services and charges, or direct them to customer service centers. · importance 3.9
• Update client address and meter location information. · importance 3.8
• Report lost or broken keys. · importance 3.7
• Perform preventative maintenance or minor repairs on meters. · importance 3.7
• Collect past-due bills.

See all tasks on the Meter Readers, Utilities page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-11312,
  title  = {Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-11312}
}