The point I was trying to make is that there is a misconception...

The point I was trying to make is that there is a misconception that remote meter reading is cheaper than manual reading because meters aren't manually read (saving labour).

Regardless of who pays, an automated system is always going to cost someone (and in this case it appears to be the consumer) a lot more than manual reading because of how cheaply manual reading can be done (I am convinced it is in the region of $1/meter read for residential reads in metro areas).