Terminology
BTU - British Thermal Unit, a measure of heat
energy, it represents the amount of heat necessary to raise on pound of
water one degree Fahrenheit at sea level.
CFH - Cubic foot an hour
Therm - One therm is equal to 100,000 BTUs or 100
CF (Cubic Feet) = 0.1 MCF
CCF - Natural gas is measured by
volume. One CCF means one hundred cubic feet of natural gas.
MCF - Another volume measure, one MCF means one
thousand cubic feet of natural gas.
Customer charge - A monthly charge that
recovers a portion of customer related costs that do not vary with the
amount of gas you use. Examples of these costs include meter reading,
record-keeping, billing, collections and costs associated with the service
line and meter used to serve you.
Base rate - Recovers operating expenses
and investment in physical plant.
Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) -
Recovers the cost ENSTAR pays to purchase gas. This rate is adjusted at
least annually.
Gas Supply Agreement
approval charge (GSA) - Recovers costs of obtaining regulatory
approval of gas supply contracts.
Regulatory cost charge (RCC)
- A charge provided for by Alaska Statute to fund the RCA.
Multiplier - The number by which the difference
between your meter readings is multiplied to determine the actual amount of gas
you used. What is
natural gas?
Natural gas is an energy fuel that provides heat. It is difficult to envision
what this energy commodity is since we can’t see or touch it but is typically
used in most homes for heating and / or cooking. Natural gas can be stored, is
often transported underground through pipelines, and is easily burned. It is
usually found beneath the surface of the earth and is more often than not
produced from gas wells.
A complex process exists in order for you to be able to turn on your gas heater,
your gas grill, or any other product or appliance fueled by natural gas. There
are several participants in today’s market including:
Producer – Any entity owning, controlling, managing, or leasing natural gas.
Transporter – Any party that has the ability to move or provide the service of
transporting natural gas. These typically include pipeline companies, gathering
companies, and local distribution companies (LDC). Typically, the LDC takes
ownership of the natural gas at the City Gate Station, which is the location
where gas changes ownership from one party to another.
Marketers - Natural gas marketers in Georgia are companies that are approved and
certified by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to procure gas and then
sell the gas directly to you, the end-user. These marketers, such as Southern
Company GAS, provide an array of pricing options, plans, and services to the
consumer. Today’s competitive market encourages natural gas marketers to provide
products and services that best meet your needs.
End-user – The ultimate consumer of the natural gas. This is you, the customer!
The Origin of Natural Gas
When we refer to
the word "gas," our present-day use of the word is often confusing. Gas is one
of the three states of matter, as opposed to solids and liquids. While we often
use the word "gas" to refer to gasoline, our vehicular fuel, this is technically
incorrect because gasoline is a liquid and not a gas.
When the gas
industry uses the word "gas," it can also be confusing because members of the
American Gas Association generally mean either natural gas, which is truly in a
gaseous state, or propane gas, which is also known as liquid petroleum gas.
Natural gas is
lighter than air, colorless, odorless and tasteless. For this reason, odorant is
added to the gas to make it noticeable and objectionable for safety reasons.
Natural gas can be compressed and, therefore, transmitted in large quantities
through relatively small pipe diameters when under high pressure.
Natural gas is
primarily composed of methane, although also present are other chemicals such as
propane, butane, isobutane, pentane and heptane.
Important
Properties of Natural Gas:
- Flammability range 5% to 15%
- No color,
odor or taste
- Mercaptan
is added for odor
- Non-toxic
- Burns with
a blue flame
- Liquefies
at - 200 °F
- Heating
Value 800 to 1200 BTU's per cubic foot
For more information:
These sites are not maintained by ENSTAR Natural Gas Company, and the
company is not responsible for their content.
Page updated:
Monday November 13, 2006
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