Reading Your Ontario Gas Meter
Your local gas distribution utility is responsible for reading your gas meter regularly. They usually schedule their meter readings for every other month for each site, and base billing on estimated consumption during the months when they don’t read your meter. Your gas utility will specify whether your billed consumption is based on an actual or estimated reading. Learning to read your gas meter can help ensure that you are being accurately billed for your natural gas use. Your gas utility must, however, do at least one meter read per year as the meter reader will also do a safety check.
How do gas distribution companies base estimate monthly gas consumption?
Natural gas utilities estimate consumption primarily on current weather data, as generally gas use is tied to weather conditions. Your natural gas utility may base your estimated consumption on your consumption history as well. Click here for more information about how natural gas distribution companies estimate your gas consumption.
Finding Your Gas Meter
Most of the time you will find your gas meter on the outside of your house. Sometimes, however, it might be in your basement.
Reading Your Gas Meter
Your gas meter works like the odometer in a car and measures your total natural gas consumption as you use it. If your residential meter is a non-imperial (or digital) meter, it will look something like this:
How to Read Your Non-Imperial Meter:
Reading your meter is straightforward: simply read the numbers left to right.
Dial Meter
If your meter is a dial (or imperial) meter its face will look something like this:
How to read your dial meter
- Starting from left to right, and directly facing the meter, mark the exact position of each dial hand
- Record the number if the dial hand is directly pointing to it. Otherwise, write the lower number when the dial hand is between two numbers.
- If the dial hand is between 9 and 0, record 9 (think of the 0 as a 10 in this case)
Submit your reading on the same date you read your meter. You can do this by calling your local gas distribution company, or in many cases, submitting your reading online. Your gas distribution company will likely not accept a meter reading that was submitted more than one business day after it was read.
When to Read Your Gas Meter
Enbridge and Union Gas will accept a reading at any time, but in order to ensure that your actual reading is applied to your bill you should do it on a day that corresponds with your meter reporting schedule, which is typically a few days before your billing date. Both Enbridge and Union Gas account holders can log into their online accounts to find out their billing schedules. Union Gas customers can set up to receive monthly email reminders through their online account
Submitting Your Meter Reading: Enbridge and Union Gas
Enbridge customers: your reading can be submit either online or over the phone
- Over the phone: Call 1-800-268-5442 (24h). Make sure to have your 12-digit account number on hand
- Online: Log in to your myEnbridge account. It will have a pre-filled form for you to submit, so all you need to do is to add your reading
Union Gas customers: you can submit your reading both online or over the phone:
- Over the phone: Call 1-888-774-3111 (24h). At the greeting, press 3, then 3, then 1. Make sure to have your 14-digit account number on hand
- Online: Log in to your Union Gas MyAccount. You will need your your 14-digit account number, an email address and a phone number if it is the first time that you have signed on.
Need More Help With Your Meter Read?
If you are an Enbridge customer, you can call 1-877-362-7434 for customer service.
If you are a Union Gas customer, call their customer helpline at 1-888-774-3111 to set up an appointment to have your meter read
If you are a NRG customer, call their number at 519-765-3676