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Posted by on July 5, 2006, 4:06 pm
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> >I currently have a 200 CFH natural gas meter. I have added a generator
> > that uses 245 CFH at full load.
> >
> > I finally got a response from my gas company today (after MANY messages
> > left). They said the good news is that the line from the street is
> > sufficient, and would not need to be replaced. However, the meter and
> > regulator needed to be changed. The cost? $1043!!
> >
> > I argued and said this was ridiculous. I shouldn't have to pay over
> > $1000 to buy more gas from you. Of course, they don't care about that
> > (I guess they don't see the "big picture").
>
> They do see the big picture. You want gas. They have gas. You need a
> larger meter. They will charge you for it and make money from it. You get
> pissed off. They still have the gas to sell to others. You still want gas
> so you pay to have the meter installed.
>
> How often will the generator run? Figure your annual consumption and how
> much profit they can make from you. How long do they have to supply you to
> make back the $1043? If it is a generator for power failures only, it
> won't be in this century.
>
> You should check these thing out before you buy a piece of equipment.
> Sorry, but I don't see where they have any obligation to do this for you. I
> think you will find the propane costs equally shocking.
>
> FWIW, yes, I've done gas upgrades a few times at work. Nothing is free.
Fair enough. I realize it will cost something, I guess $1043 just
seems expensive. I can't imagine that their cost for a meter is
anywhere near that. I see that new, lower capacity meters cost just
more than $100. Maybe the bigger ones are significantly more complex.
After not having a response from them for over a month prior to today,
I have come to realize that I will have to use what I currently have.
It works fine. I'll just not be able to run the furnace, fireplaces,
and central AC all at once :-)
In their infinite wisdom they calculated that I need a 690CFH meter. I
feel that 400 would be more than adequate. I currently have a 200CFH
meter and am adding 245CFH. The meter I currently have was also sized
by them. That math does not add up to me. Someone else suggested that
I don't run at full capacity. I don't. I won't go over 60% at the
most. Only needed a generator this big so I could run my 5 ton central
AC.
Thanks for the responses. Just a bad case of sticker shock!
Brad
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