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Customer service and metering work directly with customers.

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A call center deals with your request for service in billing and service complaints.

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They also deal with emergencies like digging near a gas line or reports of smelling gas.

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Dispatch issues written endure electronic work orders to technicians.

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Those technicians could be installing or replacing meters,

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turning your gas on or off,

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relighting home appliances following a service interruption,

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or even just sending someone quickly if there is a suspected leak.

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Let me now talk about some typical classes of gas service.

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There are generally two types of service, firm and interruptible.

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Residential service is always firm and

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we are guaranteed service or natural gas no matter what.

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Interruptible service means that your supplies of

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gas may be curtailed with little notice.

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Industrial users are usually offered

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interruptible service and may get a better price if they accept it.

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It's important to really understand the components of a residential natural gas bill.

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So, let's take a minute and go over this.

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In your monthly bill,

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you not only pay for the gas you use,

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but the maintenance of the distribution system,

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plus a profit for the natural gas utility.

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The customer charge is really for the gas meter that is measuring how much gas you use.

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The distribution charge is actually

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the charge for the therms or the volume of gas you actually use.

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This is measured in dollars per therm.

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A therm is a commonly used gas measurement by natural gas utilities.

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It's equivalent to 1,000 cubic feet or one million BTU of natural gas.

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The purchase gas adjustment in your natural gas bill is a pass through

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charge from the gas utility for

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the cost of the natural gas that it buys on the open market.

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The utility does not make any profit on this item.