Reading of gas meters and bills
If you have gasoline appliances, you will also have gas meters. The single upper dial on a gas gauge is used only to test the gauge and is not part of the reading. Dials are sometimes known as registers. Although gasoline is measured in cubic feet rather than kilowatt-hours, the meter dials work the same way (and read exactly the same way) as electric meter dials.
In large commercial buildings, the gas meter can be much more sophisticated, with two sets of dials much like the combination electric meter. Called an offset gauge, this gauge also adjusts (“compensates”) when the fuel pressure or temperature at the location varies from normal conditions. Of the two sets of records, one will be marked as “Incorrect” or “Uncompensated” and the other will be labeled “Corrected” or “Compensated”.
Read the “Corrected” meter to find out your gas usage; the utility company uses the “wrong” dials to check the meter. In all cases, the gasoline consumed is measured in cubic feet or cubic feet per hour (cfh). However, rates may depend on therms. (1 therm equals 100,000 Btu, or about 100 cubic feet.) In our sample bill, cubic feet are converted to therms to determine the cost of gasoline fuel.
The gas utility (in this case, Nicor Gasoline of Chicago, Illinois) estimates that the organic gas a customer uses accounts for about 75 to 80 percent of the gas bill for more than a year . As a regulated utility, you do not earn revenue from the actual price of gas, and should pass it on without surcharge.
METER READING SECTION:
The “current reading” is determined by one of three methods: An actual meter reading means that your reading was taken by a company meter reader or recorded by an automated device. Complete Customer Reading means you reported your meter reading to the utility company. An estimated meter reading means that the company (in this situation, Nicor) estimated the reading based on past usage and also the weather.
Nicor estimates most meter readings every two months; then, on the next bill, any distinction from actual usage is automatically corrected when a full actual meter reading is taken. The “Previous Reading” can be the complete gas meter reading within the last complete reading period. The “difference” can be the amount of difference between the previous reading and the current reading. To calculate the number of therms used, the company (Nicor) multiplies its use by the Btu factor.
The Btu element may vary from month to month and is included in the bill. “Delivery Charges” are Nicor’s costs to operate and deliver the gas to you. These charges represent about 15 to 20 percent of the gas bill for more than 1 year.
MONTHLY customer charge:
This is a minimal cost for most customers and is the same every month, even if you don’t use natural gas that month. For “Rate 4” (Nicor) company customers, this charge is based on the size of your meter and the maximum potential usage of organic gasoline per hour, in cubic feet per hour (cfh). Most of the company’s customers fall into the “less than 1,000 cfh” category.
The client’s costs are:
Less than 1,000 cfh: $20.37
1,000 cfh to 10,000 cfh: $59.82
Over 10,000 cfh: $105.56
USE/DISTRIBUTION OF THERMALS Charges:
These costs cover the fixed and variable costs of operation and distribution (of Nicor). A portion of these costs carries over from month to month, depending on how much organic gas you use. You will find price variations at certain levels of thermal usage.
The volumetric delivery costs are:
First 150 therms @ $0.1329
Next 4850 therms @ $0.0682
Well over 5000 therms @ $0.0482
ENVIRONMENTAL RECOVERY Cost:
This charge covers our costs for environmental monitoring and feasible cleanup of former manufactured gas plants in our service territory. This fee changes periodically, and Nicor does not earn revenue from these fees.
FRANCHISE price:
Covers our cost for municipal franchise agreements. Nicor does not earn any revenue from this charge.
GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY ADJUSTMENT:
This adjustment covers government fees and additional expenses, excluding franchise fees. This price changes periodically, and Nicor does not earn any revenue from this cost.
TAXES:
Gas bills also consist of a series of taxes; in the situation of Nicor customers, these taxes represent 5 to 10 percent of a customer’s total bill for a year. In Illinois, where Nicor Gas is located, you’ll find three different types of state utility taxes and two city taxes.
