A reduced power-consumption meter reading system has a clock for counting elapsed time and days and outputting a first output signal for a predetermined time during a month, a first power supply activated by the first signal of the clock, and an image-processing unit driven by the first power supply for acquiring an image of a display portion of the meter. The image processing unit is driven only during the duration of the first output signal. In one embodiment, the clock outputs a second output signal for a second predetermined time during a month, and a second power supply is activated by the second output signal of the clock and drives a radio communication unit to transmit the image acquired by the image-processing unit to another radio communication unit.