Mobile Gas customers are billed once a month following monthly meter readings. The time of month your meter is read depends on where you live, but your meter reading is taken about the same time every month. The information from these readings is computed by our office and used to compile your bill, which you will receive just a few days after the meter reading. If you don't receive a bill at your usual time, please call our Customer Service Center at 476-8052.
How Mobile Gas calculates your bill...
In calculating your monthly gas bill, we measure two things: the volume of natural gas you use and the amount of energy in that gas. The volume of gas used is measured in hundreds of cubic feet, while the energy in that gas is calculated in scientifically exact units known as British Thermal Units or BTU's (a BTU is the amount of heat it takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at standard temperature and pressure). This is roughly equivalent to the amount of heat produced by completely burning a wooden match; however, because a BTU is a small unit of measurement, we base your bill on Therms used. A Therm is equal to 100,000 BTU's.
Why are Therms used in preparing your bill?
It's because the BTU content of natural gas coming into our pipelines differs. So each cubic foot of gas does not contain exactly the same number of BTU's. For this reason, our measurement stations measure the BTU content of the gas coming in from our suppliers daily. Using these measurements, we determine the average BTU content of the gas you receive each month. Then after we read your meter for the number of hundreds of cubic feet of gas you have used, it's a simple computation to convert this figure to Therms. And this assures that you are billed only for the amount of energy used. For example, let's assume the average BTU content of the gas supplied to you was determined to be 1.030 Therms per hundred cubic feet (or 1,030 BTU's per cubic foot). Your meter showed consumption of 40 hundred of cubic feet. So multiplying the volume of consumption (40) by the BTU factor (1.030), we find you used 41 Therms. That is the amount of energy you would be billed for.
What makes your gas bill vary?
• Outside temperature: Changes in the outside temperature will affect your gas bill more than any other factor. As the outside temperature goes down, gas used for heating goes up. During the cold winter months, you will naturally require more gas to heat your home.
• Water temperature: Cold weather also affects water temperature, so more gas is required to heat water for household use. Water temperature is usually about 25 degrees lower in January than in July, and your water heater needs more energy to keep the water temperature constant.
• Home insulation and construction: The quality of insulation in your home as well as your family's size and lifestyle can also contribute to fluctuations in the amount of gas used in the home.
Reading the Gas Meter
A gas meter is an accurate measuring device that records in hundreds of cubic feet the amount of natural gas you use. This measurement is easily read directly from dials on the face of the meter. To take such a reading, read the row of four dials in order from left to right. Note that some dials will operate clockwise while others operate counterclockwise. Beginning with the dial on the far left, record the number which each dial has just passed, as shown in the illustration below, the meter reading is 0-1-9-1.
We Read Your Meter Monthly
A Mobile Gas meter reader generally makes the monthly readings of the meters in your section of town. Your gas meter is read at about the same time each month. Weekends and holidays will cause the exact date to vary a little from month to month. If we are unable to get to your meter for a monthly reading, due to fences, dogs, severe weather, etc., we will estimate the amount of gas used, based on the number of days since your meter was read, the temperature during that time, and your historical usage pattern for the last 12 months. Once the next meter reading is taken, your next bill will be accurately adjusted to include the exact amount of gas used. So you pay only for the gas actually used.