You may not have paid much attention to what a gas meter looks like so we thought we’d take the opportunity to show you a gas meter installation carried out by 1Gas recently.

Gas meters vary greatly depending on a few different factors. They include the capacity of gas required in kilowatts by a customer, the location of the meter position, the pressure in the gas mains, and whether the meter is internal or external.

On the photo you can see an example of a low pressure U16 gas meter which is capable of around 173 kilowatts (kW). In this instance the meter is sitting on a shelf secured to a wall. The gas pipe connection pipe to the mains is on the right and connects to the meter inlet on the left hand side of the meter. The dome shaped grey metal component is called the regulator and controls the pressure of gas entering the meter is at a safe level and sufficient for the gas meter to operate. The gas then enters the meter and is pumped out through a mechanism of lung like diaphragm chambers. On the top right of the meter, the gas leaves through the meter outlet into the customers own pipework, known as outlet pipework. These pipes will connect around homes and businesses to appliances such as gas fires, cookers, hobs, boilers, furnaces, ranges, heaters or specialist industrial equipment.