Ah... Those colored FPE breakers in that other thread make sense now.
On meter reading, it's every 3 months here. In my area though, meter readers only come round every 6 months, and the PoCo just sends an estimated bill on the interim billing periods.
If you miss the reader, he just leaves a card and you can write in the readings yourself and leave it for him to see when he comes back in a day or two, or you can phone in the readings (it's all computerized now -- You just use a TouchTone phone to enter your account number and the readings). You can phone in the actual readings upon receipt of an estimated bill if you wish, too.
What's to stop you submitting a lesser number of kwh?
Absolutely nothing, although they would probably query the readings if they seemed very low. People calling in their own readings will sometimes reduce them a little on the heavy winter bill and then "make it up" on a spring bill.
I don't think my meter has actually been read by the PoCo for at least 2 years.
In newer services where the meter is outside in a cabinet, obviously the reader can always get there. In some areas they're now using telemetry, so the reader just has to drive slowly along the street and pick up the readings.