MPJ Plumbing

Gas Meter Installation Sydney

Connecting your home to natural gas is a smart move providing a cheap, reliable source of power all year round. To take advantage of this efficient natural resource, however, you’re going to need a gas meter installed somewhere on your property.

This often overlooked piece of kit acts as a bridge between your local area’s main gas supply and your property. While more and more Australians are discovering the benefits of natural gas, not every property has a gas meter installed. There are still plenty of properties either with no gas meter installed or one that is disused.

As expert gas plumbers in Sydney, MPJ Plumbing are able to provide a range of services and advice. Below, we’ll tell you everything you need to know in getting yourself connected, how to read your gas meter, and what role it plays in your home.

MPJ Plumbing’s Customer Promise

At MPJ Plumbing, we hold our reputation as leading plumbers in Sydney seriously. We promise each of our customers the best quality service possible, with a lifetime guarantee given on all our workmanship.

Whether it’s gas or water plumbing, blockages, hot water heating solutions, or you need some advice about your gas meter and fittings, call MPJ Plumbing now on (02) 8537 3316.

Honest upfront pricing

With decades of experience under our belt, MPJ Plumbing can provide accurate estimates for our services over the phone, prior to calling out. Once we’ve visited your property, we can then provide you with a yet more precise quote that you can be confident in.

Lifetime workmanship warranty

All of the MPJ Plumbing team are expert plumbers with the experience necessary to get jobs completed correctly. All our work, therefore, comes with a lifetime workmanship warranty, with our team members proud to stand by their work.

Friendly, honest and reliable

While MPJ Plumbing offers a professional service, we know water and gas-related matters can sometimes be quite stressful. You will find our service, therefore, to be friendly, honest, and reliable, giving you peace of mind that you are in safe hands.

24/7 priority Sydney service

With all of our staff local to the area, MPJ Plumbing offers a 24/7 emergency plumbing service in Sydney. Our plumbers know their way around Sydney and can get to you in no time.

Local, licensed, and insured professionals

All MPJ Plumbing’s local technicians are qualified professionals, licensed and insured to carry out all gas and water-related services on both residential and commercial properties.

Find Out if Your Home or Business Is Connected to Gas

To take advantage of natural gas, you’re going to need a gas meter installed on your property.

In New South Wales, natural gas is available in most areas, including Sydney. Not all streets have pipelines, however. Finding out if your home or business is already connected to gas is easy.

To find out if your home can use gas, simply type your street name into the Go Natural Gas website’s address checker. This tool will tell you immediately whether your street has a main gas supply that can be connected to your property.

As it stands, around 66% of Australian homes are connected to gas. Many of these, however, rely on bottled LPG and are not hooked up to the main gas supply. The other 34% of Australian homes rely on electricity alone.

In both cases, millions of Australians are missing out on the cost and efficiency benefits of natural gas. By connecting your home or business to the main gas line, you are able to power appliances such as stoves and water heaters, producing the same amount of energy as grid electricity but for less than half the cost.

Not only that, but natural gas emits only a quarter of the CO2 emissions that grid-based electricity does.

Steps to Installing a Gas Meter in Your Sydney Home

With a vast network of pipelines now across Australia, natural gas infrastructure is making it easier than ever to connect a property. Each year, over 100,000 new connections are made in the network, now powering over 18 million residential gas appliances across the country.

To use gas though, your property needs a gas meter. If one is not already connected, this means requesting one be installed. The process is quick and easy and, best of all, in most cases doesn’t cost much or is even free.

Check gas is available in your street

Visit the Go Natural Gas website and type in your street name. If the website tells you gas is available, you can then proceed to the next step.

Check your property for an existing gas meter

It’s sometimes the case that people already have gas connections that they are simply not making use of. A gas meter is often overlooked and sometimes hidden away, so be sure to check it thoroughly.

Request a gas connection

If no gas meter is installed, you will then need to contact your gas distributor and request one be installed. In Sydney, this is Jemena which has a gas network of over 20,000 kilometres of pipework. Gas retailers like Jemena are responsible for the installation and upkeep of the gas meter.

Installation of gas meter

Once your application is approved, your new gas meter should be installed within 10 days. In most cases, there is no charge unless road closures and other measures are necessary.

If natural gas is not available in your area, it is still possible to make use of bottled LPG. While this does not offer quite the same cost and energy efficiencies as natural gas, an LPG tank installation can offer similar benefits.

If you’re unsure, contact MPJ Plumbing and we can help determine the best gas solution for you.

How Do Gas Regulators Distribute Gas Around a Home?

Once a gas meter is installed and connected to the main gas line in your street, you will then need to run gas pipework through your home to various appliances and outlets. This includes the use of a natural gas regulator valve.

In natural gas meters, the pressure of the gas supplied can vary depending on atmospheric conditions, demand, and the time of the year. In order to provide properties with a consistent flow pressure, gas meters use a regulator. You will find a gas regulator on your gas meter but also within appliances themselves. A stove, for instance, will include its own regulator to make sure the gas flow rate is adjusted in line with manufacturer guidelines.

Getting gas to regulators requires pipework run around a home. After your gas meter is installed, we will run pipework from this through your household to various appliances and outlets.

MPJ Plumbing are trained, professional gas fitters who are licensed to conduct all gas installations. While some plumbers are qualified to diagnose and test some gas appliances, installation requires specialist knowledge as the substances involved can be dangerous.

Natural gas is flammable and if mishandled or improperly installed can cause adverse health effects or worse.

Reading a Gas Meter

Take a look at your gas meter and you will find that it displays two sets of numbers.

The static number displayed is your gas meter number and helps the gas distributor identify your particular unit. This number can also be found on your bills and is called a Meter Installation Registration Number (MIRN) or a Delivery Point Identifier (DPI).

The other numbers on the gas meter show how much gas you’ve used. These numbers will change, going up with your gas consumption.

Some gas meters are analogue and use an odometer-style readout while newer meters sometimes use a digital display. In both cases, the number represents the milojoules of gas per cubic metre that you have used (MJ/ M³). If a number is displayed in red, it is a fractional amount and should not be taken into consideration.

Gas distributors will often request readings of this number so it’s important to familiarise yourself with the meter’s display.

What Locations Does MPJ Plumbing Service in Sydney?

MPJ Plumbing offers all manner of gas and water services, including gas fitting, Sydney-wide, including the surrounding areas. Our service areas include:

Sydney CBD
Sutherland Shire
St George
Inner West
Eastern Suburbs
North Sydney
Northern Beaches

MPJ Plumbing Offer Emergency Gas Installation Services Across Sydney

If you suspect your gas pipework is failing, has sprung a leak, or you can smell gas, shut off your gas supply and call MPJ Plumbing now on (02) 8537 3316. As licensed and trained gas fitting specialists, we are qualified to diagnose and repair gas-related work and can install new pipework and fittings when necessary. Despite gas being perfectly safe to use within a home, in itself it is a dangerous substance that should only be handled by trained professionals such as the technicians at MPJ Plumbing.

If you’re looking for a gas installer in Sydney, contact MPJ Plumbing now. Our fast, friendly, and reliable service is available 24/7, with our local team of experts on hand, ready to take your call.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should you organise your gas meter installation service?

If you are interested in hooking your home or business up to a natural gas supply, there is no reason to wait. As natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable than grid-based electricity, there’s no better time to get your property connected.

The process of gas meter installation takes around 10 days from application to installation meaning your home can be cooking with gas within a couple of weeks.

You will, of course, need gas fittings within your property to make use of this supply, with gas installation being one of many services that MPJ Gas Plumbing offers.

What if there is no natural gas connection in my area?

If your property has no natural gas supply, you can either continue relying solely on electricity or make use of bottled LPG.

LPG can either be used from replaceable bottles or have a tank installed. Both bottles and an LPG tank installation in Sydney are subject to specific rules and regulations depending on your location and property type.

MPJ Plumbing can advise and guide you through your options.

Who is responsible for the gas meter?

The gas meter on your property is owned by your gas distributor and is their responsibility. Should your gas meter develop a fault or stop working altogether, it is their job to fix it.

While the gas meter is the distributor’s responsibility, the service pipe running to the gas meter is the property owner’s, however.

The service pipe runs from your gas meter to the main gas supply in your street. This pipe is your responsibility to repair, replace, and maintain from the gas meter to 2.25cm outside your property boundary.

While this gas line is pretty resilient and will typically run for decades without much trouble, landscaping work and other disturbances can be an issue. In these circumstances, contact MPJ Plumbing and we can help.

How much clearance does a gas meter need?

Gas meters in New South Wales require a minimum of two metres of clear space surrounding the unit. There should be no permanent obstructions in the area including trees, walls, bushes, or other kinds of installation.

From the ground below a gas meter to a window or any other kind of inlet, there should be a minimum of 1.5 metres.

This means housing a gas meter should be done with care, ensuring the front of the unit remains open.