Selection Guide
Natural Gas Meters
Insertion thermal mass and inline natural gas meters for submetering of natural gas service to buildings, HVAC heating, boilers, and industrial cooking or heat treat processes. We seek to provide the hardware and software to assist our global customers with the data collection process to enhance their ability to better understand and manage their efficiency and process improvement objectives.
Why it matters
Natural gas is an essential and abundant energy resource for comfort heating and industrial manufacturing. Organizations seeking to reduce Scope 1 GHG emissions need accurate measurement of on-premise fossil fuel consumption. Monthly utility bills alone cannot provide the time-based visibility needed to identify inefficiencies, validate investments, or manage tenant billing accurately. Facility managers who benchmark costs based on the previous year's usage miss gradual efficiency degradation in mechanical systems — continuous data collection provides the benchmarking data to identify when re-tuning or service is needed.
Key selection factors
- Gas flow rate (CFH), pressure rating (typically 2–5 PSI delivered), and temperature range
- Pipe size — insertion thermal mass meters are cost-effective for pipes > 2 inches (fixed cost regardless of pipe size)
- Accuracy requirements and whether revenue-grade billing is needed
- Power availability at the installation point (thermal mass meters require low-voltage DC power)
- Metering hierarchy: main utility pulse, primary trunks, and process-specific metering
- Pressure and temperature compensation capabilities for accurate energy calculations
Meter types
Utility Meter Pulse Integration
Capture scaled pulse outputs from existing utility gas meters for bill verification and time-based dashboarding. Since work is on a utility-provided meter, the pulser must be installed by the utility company.
Inline Natural Gas Meters
Rotary-style meters using gas pressure to rotate and measure set volumes of natural gas with each rotation. No power required, suitable for locations without nearby power or applications requiring wider operating temperature ranges.
Insertion Thermal Mass Meters
Highest accuracy and least invasive option. Installed through a thread-o-let welded onto the gas supply line with a full-port ball valve and compression coupling. Fixed cost regardless of pipe size from 2" to 12".
Installation guidelines
- Consult with a licensed contractor to obtain needed permits before installation
- For inline meters: identify materials needed for flanged or threaded female NPT connections
- For insertion meters: weld thread-o-let onto gas supply line, install full-port ball valve, then insert meter through compression coupling
- Plan the metering hierarchy: utility pulse → primary trunk metering → process-specific metering
- If using a rotary-style inline meter on critical processes, install a bypass for serviceability
- Insertion thermal mass meters install through a full-port ball valve — no bypass needed as the port can be isolated for servicing
💡 Pro tip
A 2-inch pipe is the transition point: below 2 inches, inline meters are more cost-effective. Above 2 inches, insertion thermal mass meters maintain the same cost regardless of pipe size while inline meters escalate significantly in size, weight, and cost.
Recommended approach
Pulse-integrate the utility meter for bill verification, use insertion thermal mass meters on supply trunks > 2 inches, and reserve inline rotary meters for smaller branches or sites without local power.
Ready to put energy data to work?
Order sensors, bridges, and PowerRadar subscriptions from our store — or talk to a CEM-certified engineer about your project.