Some utility companies spend millions of dollars every year on meter reading. The idea, in this day and age, of driving to each customer's home to read a usage meter is simply ridiculous. So there's definitely a market for simple and cost-effective device that somehow transmits this data to the utility without having to physical visit each customer. If you can make something like this, and make it cheaply, you'll sell millions of them to utility companies around the world.
Hint: make a small frame attached directly to the front of meter, in addition to that it a basic mobile phone fixed into it by facing its camera towards meter reading. Whenever company requires to get the reading, they need to just text that particular phone and in response, it will send a photo taken from it. Alternatively, app on a phone automatically send picture on a fixed date of every month. This is just for test, if you successful, then you can develop a customized circuit only doing this job and obvoiusly reduced its cost
What do you think?