1. Why does my bill change from month to month?

2. How do I read my meter?

3. What can I do to lower my Consumption?

4. How can I enroll in the Budget Billing Plan?

5. How do I apply for a new service line to be installed?

6. Can I pay my bill by credit card or what other payment methods do you offer?

7. Why do I need to pay a security deposit?

8. Who can I get to service my Natural Gas Appliances?

9. I have turned my thermostat down to the bottom, why am I still using gas?

10. Why are you changing my meter?

11. Why does my account number change when I move?

1. Why does my bill change from month to month?

Unless you are on our Budget Billing Plan your gas bill will vary from one billing to the next. If the amount on your bill is significantly different than you expect, consider these possible reasons for the fluctuation:

• Seasonal changes
• Sudden weather changes
• Household occupants
• Vacations away from home
• Home renovations / upgrade or addition of household appliances
• Number of billing days
• Holiday gatherings (i.e. additional guests)
• Rate changes

Seasonal Changes
Heating costs in winter will definitely cause an increase in your bill. Similarly, the summer may bring increased costs, for example operating a swimming pool heater. When the weather is colder, you and your family members may take longer and hotter showers.

Sudden Weather Changes
Was there a sudden cold or warm spell during the billing period? Note that cold, windy weather can have a major impact on the cost of heating your home if it is not well insulated.

Household Occupants
New baby? Kids home from university? This could mean extra loads of laundry, hot showers and dishwashing - and increased energy consumption. It may be time to install an energy efficient shower head.

Vacations
When you're away from home, you may expect energy costs to go down. However, you may find that your energy consumption has stayed the same or even increased for various reasons. Your furnace, for example, will turn on automatically when the temperature in your home drops below the thermostat setting. Remember also that when you return home, you may need to do extra laundry, and also require additional heating to bring your home back to a comfortable level.

Changes in Your Home
Have you purchased a new appliance, upgraded to a more efficient furnace or renovated to add more space? Expect changes in your bill.

Number of Monthly Billing Days
How many billing days are in this billing period compared to previous billing periods? Months with more days will result in higher bills. Our monthly and bi-monthly billing periods typically range from 24 - 62 days.

Holiday Gatherings
Celebrating special events can impact your energy costs. Additional guests in your home can increase cooking, baking and heating, as well as hot water consumption for showers, loads of laundry and washing dishes.

Rate Changes
If the price of gas has changed, your bill will change as a result.
I've heard that I can average out my gas payments over the course of a year. Can you tell me more? Our Budget Billing Plan helps you manage your payments and cash flow more easily. Your estimated gas use and charges are divided into 11 predictable installments and the 12th month is your catch-up month that is used to balance your annual total bill.

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Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. uses imperial meters. Imperial meters measure gas use in hundreds of feet.We also use two styles of meters: digital index registers and clock-style registers.

Digital index registers
Reading a digital index register is as easy as reading your car's odometer. Each digital meter is clearly marked to show imperial measurement.

To find out how much gas you've used since your last statement, just subtract your last reading from your current reading. Easy!

Clock-style registers
Reading a clock-style register is not hard once you get the hang of it. If you have a clock-style meter, read the dials from 0-9, either clockwise or counter clockwise as indicated on the dial. if the hand is between numbers, read the smaller number -- so if the pointer is between 4 and 5, record 4

Here's how to find out how much gas you've used since your last statement:

Take your present reading: 15,800
Less your previous reading (you'll find this on your statement): 7,400
Gas used: 8,400 cubic feet

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Make your home more energy efficient:

• Increase Insulation
• Stop air leaks
• Install energy efficient windows

• Upgrade to energy-efficient natural gas products, appliances and fixtures:
  • Upgrade your furnace
  • Upgrade your appliances
• Our Budget Billing Plan equalizes your annual bill over 11 months
• Stay on top of energy use by reading your gas meter

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Do you realize that more than half of your annual heating bill comes from the three coldest months of the year?

Instead of facing the stress of higher bills every winter (when you're already paying for the holidays!), rely on our Budget Billing Plan.

How it works
Our Budget Billing Plan helps you manage your payments and cash flow more easily. Your estimated gas use and charges are divided into 11 predictable installments.

PDF Form | Pre-Authorized Payment FAQ's

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Please contact our Customer Care Center at 1 (800) 667-2297 during business hours Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm and our Customer Service representatives will be pleased to take down your information and schedule a site visit by one of our Utility men or fill in the online form and we will contact you to schedule a site visit.

Online form coming soon.

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Payment and plan options
Ways to pay your bill:

• New way to pay. Credit Card option.
• Pre-authorized Payment Plan [Budget billing Plan].
• By cheque through the mail.
• Telephone or internet banking.
• At your financial institution.
• Drop box at any one of our locations.

New! Credit card payment
We're pleased to introduce a new payment option for customers. You can now pay your Pacific Northern Gas bill through Caledon Card Services, a bill payment service. It's easy to do - you can use either your Visa or MasterCard to make payment over the phone or on their secure website.

This is a user-pay service, so if you choose this option Caledon Card Services will charge a convenience fee based on the amount of your payment. We have arranged this service as a convenience to you. PNG does not receive any part of the convenience fee.

Please note that fees will be charged for processing your payment. These fees are paid to Caledon Card Services and Pacific Northern Gas does not retain any portion of these fees. Please allow 3 business days for your payment to be received by Pacific Northern Gas.

If you are making a payment in response to a Notice of Disconnection, please call 1 800 667-2297 during business hours Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm to inform us of this payment.

click here to make your payment online.

Pre-Authorized Payment Plan

It's one less thing to worry about! Pacific Northern Gas helps make your life easier with the automatic deduction of your gas bill payment from your bank account.

Our Pre-Authorized Payment Plan saves you time, cheque-writing and postage - and avoids any possibility of missed payments and late payment charges when you're busy or out of town.

You'll continue to receive a monthly or bi-monthly statement detailing your account's energy expenses, and the amount of the payment will also show up on your monthly bank statement.

To enroll, please print the authorization form and complete the blanks and mail it in with a cheque (marked void) from the bank account you want to use for your Pre-Authorized Payments.

Online form coming soon.

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To ensure that Pacific Northern Gas is adequately protected against losses and to be fair to the majority of customers who have established a good payment record, we reserve the right to request any residential or commercial customer to provide a security deposit for payment of future gas bills.

A security deposit may be required if you are:

• A new customer without a credit history with us; or
• An existing customer with a poor record of paying gas bills; or
• Commercial customers.

A Customer who has previously established a good payment record with us will not be required to pay a security deposit if they move.

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No Heat?

You Might Be Able to Solve the Problem Yourself!

Things to check before calling a heating contractor

Check the following before you phone a heating contractor. You may be able to avoid a service charge by solving the problem yourself.

• If your heating system thermostat has settings for both heating and cooling, set it to the heat position.
• Turn up the thermostat a few degrees and see if your heating system comes on.
• Ensure that your warm air registers and cold air returns are free of furniture, drapes, rugs and any other items that could restrict air circulation.
• Check the fuse or circuit breaker (located in the main electrical panel of your home). The fuse may need replacing or the breaker may need to be reset.
• Ensure that the furnace power switch (similar to a light switch located near the furnace) is in the on position.
• Check that the furnace filter is clean. Before opening the furnace to check, turn off the furnace power switch. After checking the condition of the filter, close the furnace access panel and turn the power switch back on.
• If the furnace has a standing or continuously burning pilot light, check that it's lit.
• If the pilot needs re-lighting, follow the instructions on the furnace plate or sticker or in the manufacturer's booklet. If you have any difficulty, call a licensed heating contractor.

How do I find heating contractors servicing my area?

Narrow your search down to only professionals qualified to work on natural gas equipment. Review more than one contractor by doing some comparison shopping. Be suspicious of anyone who shows up at your door uninvited offering a special deal.

To find HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) contractors in your area, you should:

• check your local telephone directory
• ask your neighbours for recommendations;
• check newspaper, TV and radio ads;
• contact stores that sell natural gas equipment

• problems with heating ducts or radiators;
• balancing of a warm air system;
• replacement of an exhaust vent;
• installation of a metal chimney liner in a masonry chimney;
• problems with central air conditioning connected to your forced-air furnace;
• installation of a natural gas appliance; and
• corrective measures if you need to improve air supply or ventilation

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With the majority of manual type thermostats the lowest setting possible with the lever placed as far over as possible is a temperature of 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius. During the summer months the windows are left open and the temperature in the home drops below this temperature causing the furnace to come on. During the summer months to insure this doesn't happen turn the electrical switch off that controls the furnace, this way the furnace cannot operate.

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Did you get a call about a meter exchange?
We work hard to make sure that your gas meter operates as accurately as possible. Our meter exchange program means that every few years, under Industry Canada guidelines, we exchange and test a range of meters for their continued accuracy.

Because this work requires us to shut off your gas and enter your home or business to relight your appliances, our service department will try to contact you first- usually by phone or letter- to arrange a convenient time for one of our service people to make the exchange.

How long does it take?
It will take our Technicians about 30 - 45 minutes start to finish.

What are you going to do?
First, our technicians will take the last reading on the meter. Then, he will shut off the gas, remove the meter, install the new meter, take the new reading and turn the gas back on. When that's all finished, he'll need to come inside and relight your gas appliances.

Does it cost me anything?
There is no cost to the customer for this service.

How can I be sure it is really a Pacific Northern Gas employee at my door?
All of our technicians carry a Pacific Northern Gas photo ID card that they will produce upon request, as well they will be driving a clearly marked Pacific Northern Gas vehicle.

Questions?
If you have any questions on the meter exchange program please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Center at 1 800 667-2297 between the hours of 9:00-4:00 Monday through Friday excluding holidays.

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Your account number is comprised of two components the first 9 numbers starting with the 00 identify you the customer.

The following 7 numbers identify the Premise or Business.

When you move the first 9 numbers will remain constant, but the next 7 will change to identify your new home or business.

If you are paying your bill through Telephone or Internet banking you will need to make this change to insure your payments are directed to the new account.

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