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Gas meters in Alberta will soon be ‘read’ by aircraft

Click to play video: 'ATCO gas moves from truck to aerial meter readings'
ATCO gas moves from truck to aerial meter readings
Tue, Jul 3: Direct Energy's Wendy Tynan joins Global News Morning Calgary to talk about the changes to the way ATCO will be reading natural gas meters in the region – Jul 3, 2018

ATCO is changing the way it reads natural gas meters in the province; soon, it will be done by air.

Currently, gas meters broadcast an electronic signal that is read remotely by a truck but over the summer, ATCO will be switching over to an aircraft to collect this data, said Direct Energy spokesperson Wendy Tynan.

“It’s the same technology they’ve been using but they’re taking it to the skies,” Tynan said.

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ATCO supplies natural gas for homes and businesses, as well as installs the meters.

Companies like Direct Energy and Enmax produce monthly bills for consumption based on the meter ratings supplied by ATCO.

As they switch collection methods, Tynan said Direct Energy wants to prepare its customers for the change, as the meter reading date and the bill due date may change.

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“For some customers, their bill might be smaller one month because they have a shorter billing cycle in that transition, so some customers may not receive a bill in a given month this summer, and to expect a larger one.

“It’s really just helping folks plan and manage their budget so there aren’t any unnecessary surprises when they receive their bill.”

Direct Energy is also warning that some bills may come sooner than normal and others may take longer.

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