Based on the given example, what is the meter error percentage?

• A. 97.28%
• B. 0.00%
• C. 2.72%
• D. 3.50%

Answer: (C)

Meter error percentage shows how far the meter’s reading is from the true consumption, expressed as a percent of the actual value. To compute it, compare the actual amount to what the meter shows. If the true amount is 100 units and the meter indicates 97.28 units, the difference is 2.72 units. That difference as a percentage of the actual value is (2.72 / 100) × 100 = 2.72%. Because the meter reads lower than the actual, the error is a negative deviation, but we report the magnitude as 2.72%.

So the meter error percentage is 2.72%. The other options would represent either a perfect reading (0.00%), the meter’s reading expressed as a percent of actual (97.28%), or a larger discrepancy (3.50%) that would correspond to a different reading.