The natural gas that comes to your home passes through a gas meter. Dials on the meter show how much natural gas your home has used. Please, don’t tamper with a gas meter—it could be dangerous.

The meter shows how much natural gas you use in a measurement called “cubic feet” (cf). One cf would fill a container that is one foot wide, one foot high, and one foot deep. One cf is the equivalent of just a little less than eight fluid gallons.

Your natural gas utility reads your meter regularly and uses the reading to calculate your gas bill. Every month or two the utility sends your household a gas bill, which tells you how much natural gas you used and how much you have to pay for it. The more gas you use, the higher your gas bill.

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