Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, groeit het energieverbruik.

Naarmate means something like as, in proportion as, or the more/less ... the more/less ..., depending on context.

It is used to show that one change happens together with another change:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, groeit het energieverbruik.
• As the meter reading gets higher, energy consumption increases.

It often appears in sentences about gradual change, trends, or proportional relationships.

A very close English idea is:

• As X increases, Y increases
• The higher X gets, the more Y increases

Because naarmate introduces a subordinate clause.

In Dutch subordinate clauses, the finite verb usually goes to the end of the clause. That is why you get:

• de meterstand hoger wordt

not:

• de meterstand wordt hoger

So the pattern is:

• naarmate + subject + rest + finite verb

For example:

• Naarmate het later wordt, word ik moe.
• As it gets later, I get tired.

In a main clause, you would normally say:

• De meterstand wordt hoger.

But after naarmate, it becomes:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, ...

This is because Dutch main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position.

The entire first clause:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt

counts as the first element of the sentence.

So in the main clause, the finite verb must come next:

• groeit

and only after that comes the subject:

• het energieverbruik

So:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, groeit het energieverbruik.

If the main clause came first, it would be:

• Het energieverbruik groeit naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt.

That is also correct.

Hoger is the comparative form of hoog.

• hoog = high
• hoger = higher

The sentence is talking about a change upward, not just a fixed quality. So Dutch uses the comparative:

• de meterstand hoger wordt = the meter reading becomes higher / gets higher

Using hoog would not sound right here, because the idea is not simply that the reading is high, but that it rises.

Yes. Here worden means to become or to get.

So:

• hoger wordt = becomes higher / gets higher

Dutch often uses worden + adjective to express a change of state:

• Het wordt donker. = It gets dark.
• Ik word moe. = I get tired.

In your sentence:

• de meterstand hoger wordt = the meter reading gets higher

This is more natural than using is, because the sentence describes a process of change.

Meterstand is a compound noun:

• meter = meter
• stand = position, level, reading

Together, meterstand usually means meter reading.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a utility meter reading
• an odometer reading
• another measured reading shown on a meter

Dutch uses compound nouns very often, so it is useful to notice that the last part usually gives the core meaning. Here the core word is stand.

These are just the grammatical genders/articles of the nouns:

• de meterstand
• het energieverbruik

A useful rule for compounds is that the last part usually determines the article.

• meterstand ends in stand, and stand is a de-word
• energieverbruik ends in verbruik, and verbruik is a het-word

So the full compounds keep those articles:

• de meterstand
• het energieverbruik

This is a very helpful rule when learning Dutch compound nouns.

Because the subject is singular:

• het energieverbruik

So the verb must also be singular in the present tense:

• het energieverbruik groeit

If the subject were plural, you would use groeien:

• De kosten groeien.
• The costs are growing.

Here, energieverbruik is a singular noun meaning energy consumption, so groeit is correct.

Yes, other verbs are possible, depending on the nuance.

• groeit = grows
• stijgt = rises
• neemt toe = increases

So you could also say:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, stijgt het energieverbruik.
• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, neemt het energieverbruik toe.

All are possible, but they are slightly different in style:

• groeit can sound a bit broader or more gradual
• stijgt is very common for numbers or levels
• neemt toe is a very standard formal way to say increases

Yes, in normal Dutch spelling, a subordinate clause placed before the main clause is usually followed by a comma.

So:

• Naarmate de meterstand hoger wordt, groeit het energieverbruik.

This comma helps show where the subordinate clause ends and the main clause begins.

Yes, Dutch often uses a structure like:

• Hoe hoger de meterstand wordt, hoe groter het energieverbruik wordt.

This is similar to English:

• The higher the meter reading gets, the greater the energy consumption becomes.

The difference is mainly stylistic:

• naarmate is common in more neutral or formal statements about gradual change
• hoe ..., hoe ... is more explicitly comparative

So your original sentence with naarmate is perfectly natural, especially in explanatory or technical contexts.