Gas bills are often an afterthought when looking at your power bills. So, we have decided to pay a little attention to that often overlooked part of your power consumption.

Natural Gas forms from decayed plant and animal matter that is compacted over millions of years. It is extracted from the ground by deep drilling, then filtered and piped to your home. After filtering, Natural Gas is comprised of mainly methane. The smell of Gas is actually added after the filtering process as a safety feature. That distinctive rotten egg smell is called Mercaptan.

The gas that you pay for in your home is measured by its weight, known as a mega joule or MJ. Gas charges are different to electricity charges in that Peak and Off-Peak rates refer to different times of year. Off-Peak rates are charged during summer, when you are probably using less; Peak is then during winter. In Australia, Natural Gas is also usually charged on a block tariff, meaning that once you reach the first threshold everything you use after that (in a billing period) is charged at a different rate.

Natural Gas – Greener?

As is the case with many other minerals, Australia has abundant reserves of Natural Gas. As it is the cleanest burning of the fossil fuels, it is kinder on the environment than coal or oil. In addition, Natural Gas is a highly dense material, meaning that it produces the same amount of energy but 75% less greenhouse gases than coal. More bang for your buck!