Tasmanian electricity provider Tas Networks is facing some criticism for not reading meters at properties where there is a dog.

The Tas Networks safety rule means that thousands of residents have been paying what is only an estimate of their power use, not the actual figure.

The company says meter readers were being bitten by dogs about once a month before the rule was imposed.

Lance Balcombe from Tas Networks has told the ABC that the safety of employees is the primary concern.

“The point is that unless our people can see that the dog is physically restrained we don't allow them to enter the house,” he said.

Customers said if they had some warning about when the meter-reading was scheduled, they would be able to restrain their dogs and get an accurate power bill.

The power company says that even when it is informed that a dog is confined, the meter readers themselves often do not get the message, and do not read the meter.

Wireless meters of various kinds have already been installed in other jurisdictions worldwide, and some advocates say the situation in Tasmania is just one of the many benefits o a meter that can be read without anyone having to enter a property.