How to check if gas is connected to your house

Checking if you have gas connection

Do not be alarmed if a gas plumber asks you, “Does your house have gas connections?” This is because not all properties in Australia are connected to gas.

In Australia, natural gas is fast-growing, with about 100,000 new homes being fitted each year. It has countless advantages when compared to fossil fuels. This signals a significant move for Australia in the coming years.

We are going to cover how to check if you are connected to gas and what steps you should take if you want your house connected to gas.

Is gas connected to your house?

There are a few reasons why you would want to check if your house is connected to a gas supply. These include:

• You have built a new home
• You have relocated to a new property and the gas is not working
• You want to move your gas metre

Check the availability of gas in your area

First, you need to go to a gas supplier’s website and put in your street address and postcode to confirm if natural gas is available in your zone. If your area has natural gas, you, as the house owner, need to request a natural gas connection. Once the request is sent and processed, there will be a connection offer sent.

A connection point will be placed on your property, and after this, it will be possible for your gas plumber to connect your natural gas appliances properly. Remember that the natural gas network is the one to arrange the natural gas connection from the natural gas pipeline to your property.

The work of a gas plumber is to install the gas, i.e., run the piping from the gas metre into your home and gas appliances for a standard connection. They can also fix a path plug and gas metre and then to equipment for connections that are not standard. However, if the natural gas line is not supplied to your zone, you can use gas bottles (LPG) or electricity to run your equipment.

Choose a gas supplier

If you check your current energy bill, you can get a contact for your gas supplier. If it is not available or you are new to the house, do a little bit of research to see the gas retailers available in your area. Apart from hiring a gas retailer, another option is calling the Metre Point Administration Service (MPAS), and they will provide details of your energy supplier.

You need to get in touch with your resident Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to connect your house to gas. These companies are in charge of operating the setup that brings gas to your house.

Installing the gas metre

There is a high probability that if you have moved to a new house, the service line is already connected but not the gas metre. There are two options that are given if you want to install the metre and finish the process of connecting gas to your house. Either have the supplier do the whole set up or part of the work to be done by the supplier and the other part given to a private, qualified plumber.

Advantages of the supplier doing everything

• It is fast as you are dealing with one person only
• It is cost-effective and less stressful
• They organise for a plumber to come and test the gas lines one by one
• The supplier cannot connect if you are not at home at the scheduled time and will charge you a fee

Advantages of sharing between supplier and plumber

If you are not in the house when the supplier is supposed to come and do the gas metre installation, they can still install, but you will be unable to test the lines. You will need to get a plumber (that you will pay out of pocket) to come at a future date and test if it is working. Certified professionals should do metre installations.

The gas metre should be located in a place where it is easy to access. It should be in a safe place where reading it is easy, with ease of ventilation, and allows repairs and replacements to be done without difficulty. A custody transfer where the liquefied gas is calculated for selling is known as a gas metering system.

The custody transfer must be accurate to the company distributing the material and the receiver when a material is being transferred. The gas supplier is responsible for reading your metre. They will bill you for how much gas you have consumed in a month or quarter (depending on the billing schedule for the company).

If you want to shift your metre, call in an authorised certified professional. Please note that it is illegal to shift the metre by yourself. A metering technician is responsible for metering installation and maintains metering equipment and software panel homes. They teach panel members the right way to use and look after the metering equipment.

Inspect your gas equipment yourself

Whatever option you eventually decide to go with, always inspect the equipment yourself to see if they are working before releasing the supplier or the plumber.

There is nothing worse than being informed that all is dandy and working only to find the gas is not connected well when you try it out for the first time. You do not want to spend all of your time looking for a new operator or plumber to rectify what has already been done.

Types of gas metres

Standard credit metres

These have a straightforward display that has five black numbers.

Digital credit metres

They are different from the standard credit metre in that they have a digital display. There is a button you have to push to get the reading.

Dial metres

They have an interface that looks like a clock. It is not used often and is not easy to read.

Prepay metres

These ones use a key fob, card, or token to add credit. Their display can either be mechanical or digital.

Smart metres

Smart gas metres have an automated display. It is easy to track usage. You don’t have to go through the unnecessary hassle of reading your metre as the metre feeds the supplier usage data frequently to ensure correct billing.

Select how to get your bill

As soon as you have finished the above steps, the gas should be connected to your house. It is a bright idea to choose the way you will get your gas bill. You can choose to receive your bill via post or email by selecting either of the options from your online account. In summary, these are the steps you should follow:

• Open the domestic gas map
• Enter your postcode or address
• Provide your address and see if there is gas in your area
• Submit an online application
• Read the terms and conditions and accept
• Give the metre place
• Give out your contact information
• Pay the fees for the connection

Always ensure that your gas appliances are checked over and serviced at least yearly. This is because it is estimated that around seven people pass away because of gas-associated carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

Safety measures when using gas

Do not assume any instructions given by the manufacturer. You should read all the labels and signage when using gas appliances, including gas stoves, gas grills, gas heaters, and gas hot water systems. If you should have any queries, be sure to get in touch with your energy supplier, a certified gas fitter, or the gas appliance company.

Do not let just anybody check your gas appliances. Get a certified gas fitter whose job is to install, remove, change, repair, service, test, or verify the gas system. These include all the piping and gas networks. Before a contractor commences work in your house, ask to see their license.