How does canada measure gas

Ervin and Associates of London, Ont. Using their data for June , here's the breakdown for the average cost of a litre of gasoline in Canada in the last few years. Ervin and Associates. Natural Resources Canada combines the refining and marketing costs in one statistic, but MJ Ervin breaks it down.

The refiner's operating margin is the difference between what the refiner pays for the crude and the wholesale price. According to M. Ervin, that figure varied in June from 7. The marketing operating margin, which includes the costs of distribution and retail, in the major cities in the country's provinces ranges from 8. Whitehorse has the lowest tax portion of the pump price, at Vancouver and Montreal, which add a transit tax to the federal and provincial taxes, have the highest tax components, at Victoria also has a transit tax, but is not one of the sample cities on the Ervin chart.

The proportion of each of the components has changed over time. Natural gas reserves are estimated quantities of gas in known drilled reservoirs, which are near existing pipelines and markets.

These gas volumes are known with considerable certainty to be recoverable today and in future years under existing technological and economic conditions.

Resources are estimated volumes of natural gas — discovered or undiscovered — that exist in subsurface accumulations. Discovered resources are estimated quantities of gas in known drilled reservoirs, which are too remote to be connected to existing pipelines and markets.

If pipelines were built, gas volumes would be recoverable under existing technological and economic conditions. Undiscovered resources are an estimate, inferred from geological data, of gas volumes thought to be recoverable under current or anticipated economic and technological conditions, but not yet discovered by drilling.

These resources may be near or remote from pipelines. Before natural gas is ever drilled for and produced, geologists and geophysicists identify drilling targets where natural gas might be present.

Geologists map the subsurface by first mapping the surface exposure of formations and projecting their continuation below surface, and by using the known location of formations in drilled wells to map at depth between wells. Seismic surveys are also used to image the subsurface and help determine appropriate places to drill.

Once a drilling target is chosen, a well is drilled to the depth where natural gas is thought to exist using a drilling rig. Vertical or straight line drilling is the process of drilling a well to reach a target that is directly underneath the point of entry. Directional or slant drilling is the process of drilling a curved well, in order to reach a point that is not directly beneath the drill site. Horizontal drilling is a form of directional drilling where the well begins vertically and is then curved at a certain depth so that the well bore travels horizontally within a target formation.

If natural gas is found, casing steel pipe is placed in the well and cement is pumped around the outside of the casing to seal the different formations off from one another. The casing is then perforated at the producing zone. Steel production tubing is also placed inside the casing, and connected to valves and pipelines at the surface.

Natural gas can then be produced through the tubing up the well. Because natural gas is present at high pressure in reservoirs, and because it expands as pressure is released, natural gas will typically flow through the perforations in the casing, into the tubing, and rise up to the surface unaided by compressors or pumps.

Once at the surface, the natural gas must be processed to remove water and impurities. Raw natural gas from wells consists mostly of methane but may also contain NGL s and impurities.

NGL s are separated from the natural gas either at processing facilities near the natural gas field or at straddle plants located on pipeline systems. These by-products, once removed, are used in a number of ways. For example, propane can be used for cooking on gas grills. Conventional natural gas production occurs from relatively highly porous and permeable sandstone or carbonate geologic formations. At suitably high concentrations, low temperatures and higher pressures, methane combines with water into a material that resembles ice, but which contains natural gas molecules entrapped within a solid molecular network of ice-like crystals.

Natural gas is mainly transported within extensive networks of high pressure steel pipelines. When natural gas is first extracted from the ground, it is transported by gathering pipelines from natural gas wells to processing plants. After processing, the natural gas is transported via large-diameter, high-pressure steel transmission pipelines, which carry natural gas to large industrial customers and local distribution companies LDC s.

LDC s reduce the pressure of the gas, add odorant to aid in leak detection, and then deliver the natural gas via smaller, low pressure pipelines to homes and businesses.

Natural gas can also be shipped overseas as a liquid. Liquefied natural gas, or LNG , is simply natural gas in its liquid state. As a liquid, natural gas is reduced to one six-hundredth of its original volume, which makes it feasible to transport large volumes of gas over long distances in specially-designed ocean tankers. In addition, Measurement Canada or accredited organizations: verify the accuracy of the meters before they are placed into service seal the meters before they are placed into service periodically check to make sure the meter accuracy is maintained Doubting your meter's accuracy If you feel that your energy bill isn't an accurate reflection of the amount of electricity or gas you've consumed, you should do the following: Double check your energy usage.

Maybe you actually used more energy than you think. You may use more energy than expected if: the weather is hotter or colder than normal you added an appliance you had an appliance such as a refrigerator, freezer, water heater or air conditioner that was working more than normal Your utility may have overestimated the amount of electricity or gas you used.

Contact your utility's customer service department. File a complaint with Measurement Canada. Meter readings when moving If you are moving, you should contact your utility to confirm the current reading of your meter. Removing meters from service On occasion, utilities or other service providers must remove electricity and gas meters from service.

Utilities and other service providers may remove a meter to: test the meter to make sure it continues to be accurate replace a defective or broken meter test the meter when there is a complaint related to its accuracy test meters to monitor their compliance with the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act routinely maintain the meter If your meter is being removed for a reason other than those listed, such as to replace it with a smart meter, you should contact your utility about your concerns.

Related services and information Questions and answers on electricity meters including smart meters File a complaint.