How To Read Your Meter

You can track your household's natural gas usage easily by reading your own natural gas meter.

Study the meter dials in the image on the right side of the page. Each dial is labeled with a total gas volume equal to one revolution of the dial. For example, if the hand on the dial marked "1,000,000 goes all the way around, that means that one million cubic feet of natural gas were used.

Read the dials on the upper row from left to right. If the needle is between two numbers, record the lower of the numbers.

If you read your meter the day you receive your bill, the meter reading you take should be higher than the reading on your bill because of the time lapse between the meter reader's visit and your bill's arrival in the mail.

If you have any questions about your meter reading, feel free to call our office at 731.855.1441.

METER MEASUREMENT DEFINITIONS

Cubic Foot (cf)	A measurement of gas volume. One cubic foot is equal to the amount of gas required to fill one cubic foot under standard temperature and pressure (60 degrees Fahrenheit and 14.7 pounds per square inch pressure)
CCF	100 Cubic Feet
MCF	1,000 Cubic Feet
British Thermal Unit (BTU)	A measurement of heat. One BTU is equal to the amount of heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
Therm (th)	A unit of heat equivalent to 100,000 BTUs. One Therm is one CCF
Dekatherm (Dth)	Equal to 10 therms, 1,000,000 BTUs, or 1 MMBTU

The heating value of gas (its calorific value or BTU factor) is an important factor in its purchase and sale. This "heat content" of the fuel is the principle measure of its ability to perform a heating service.

A higher BTU factor results in fewer cubic feet of natural gas required to produce a given amount of heat; a lower BTU factor results in more cubic feet of natural gas required to produce the same amount of heat.

Gas is bought from the producer in MMBTU and then gas is usually sold on a "therm" basis. A therm is a quantity of gas with the heating value factored in.