Cooking gas customers alert: How is your PNG bill calculated? Know how to claim refund here

The price of piped natural gas (PNG), also known as piped cooking gas, has increased significantly in Delhi-NCR over the past few months as a result of record-high input costs for a variety of factors. Gas is provided to homes in Delhi-NCR by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL), one of the biggest natural gas distribution firms in the nation. The fact that the user only gets to pay after using gas is a distinctive characteristic.

The standard billing cycle is every two months. The amount of PNG consumption, expressed in units, is what the consumer is charged for. Based on the precise consumption reading provided by the metre installed at the user's premises, the user pays the bill. Since the organisation offers its customers the option of self-billing, the bill production process is simple. The customer only needs to take a picture of the metre with their phone and upload it to the app or website. Automatic bill generation will occur. But what if you ignore the instructions? Does that imply that you won't receive a bill even if you continue to use the connection? It's not like that, though. The business typically notifies customers by SMS, email, and even dispatches executives to record the metre reading for bill creation.

However, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you don't use the piped gas connection, don't upload the metre reading, and even get a bill that demands payment over your calculations? In other instances, consumers have gotten bills despite not utilising the piped cooking gas for even a single day. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehend the criteria by which billing is done.

Let's say a customer has used less than 4 SCM of piped natural gas throughout a two-month billing period. The consumer is then required to pay minimum fees equal to 4 SCM at the current PNG rate. SCM stands for minimum billing for gas volume. 

What if the consumer is charged extra?

Consider a scenario in which a customer is absent from home for the billing cycle and fails to use even a single unit. In this case, the business will send the customer a bill asking them to pay the 4 SCM minimum charge.

If a customer thinks the bill amount is excessive, he or she can get further information by getting in touch with PNG customer service. Subject to the company's policies, terms, and conditions, the customer may request a refund if they believe they have been overcharged. In general, it has been seen that the business takes refund requests and, following verification, restores the additional/extra money charged.

PNG retail prices domestically (Source: IGL, as of 5th August, 2022) 

NCT of Delhi – Rs.50.59/- per SCM

Noida, Greater Noida & Ghaziabad – Rs. 50.46/- per SCM

Karnal & Rewari – Rs.49.40/- per SCM

Gurugram – Rs.48.79/- per SCM

Muzaffarnagar, Meerut & Shamli – Rs.53.97/- per SCM

Ajmer, Pali & Rajsamand - Rs.56.23/- per SCM

Kanpur, Hamirpur & Fatehpur - Rs.53.10/-per SCM