Nope, read the other posts in this thread. Apparently, coin-operated natural gas meters are a real thing.

Ok, I can understand that. But our boiler also heats water for general use (tap water, shower).

It is for all gas coming into the house.

The takeaway from these posts is this: whether you prefer forced-air or hot water heating, Steam is bad. LOL

nvm

Not to mention the ORIGINal EPIC heating. :-P

:D

theyll probably do that here if youre on a regular metre. though theyll also give you a call first and ask for a reading to see if it matches what they have. a good few people in this area are actually "self assessed" in such a manner anyway - especially as there was a scheme to install solar panelling for free (but unlike paying for it yourself you gain no profit or offset from national grid sales).

Also, with fracking im really not sure how much of our gas use is "natural" in the Uk anymore tbh.

Apparently, there's more to this heating/gas conversation than was obvious at first. Thanks for the additional info.

OK, I'm done here. I don't want to derail or hijack this thread. Thanks for all the responses, everyone. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread.

great, now we have to go back to talking about Benedict Arnold. O___o

In Spain they are named with one or more letters, followed by one or more numbers. It depends on their scope (national/regional) and what type of road they are. For example, A3 is a national highway that connects Madrid with Valencia, while M40 is a regional road that circumvents the city of Madrid.


Certain roads (the most significant, I guess) are considered part of "European itineraries" and are also known by a second code, beginning with the letter E. But for most people it's just a green blot on road signs that can be easily ignored (perhaps they are more useful for truck drivers who travel through different countries).

Can't tell for the whole EU, but:

The German motorways are numbered according to a clear system. Since the mid-1970s, there is a numbering system for motorways, which approximately specifies which number a new highway receives. Federal motorways with a single-digit number (eg A 1) are of nationwide or even cross-border significance. Highways with two digits as a number (eg A 20) are usually of overriding regional importance. Highways with three digits as a number (eg A 999) are typically of regional or city significance. Often these highways are feeder roads or detours.

For highways with more than one digit, the first digit indicates the approximate location of the motorway:

1 = Greater Berlin, Leipzig-Halle, Dresden,
2 = Greater Hamburg,
3 = Greater Hannover / Bielefeld / Osnabrück,
4 = Greater Ruhr area / Kassel / Rhineland-Palatinate,
5 = Greater Cologne,
6 = Greater Frankfurt am Main,
7 = Greater Schweinfurt / Nuremberg / Erfurt,
8 = Greater Stuttgart,
9 = Greater Munich.
With the exception of southern Germany, the distribution is analogous to the distribution of the first digit of the four-digit postal codes valid in Germany until 1993.

As a rule, motorways with even numbers run predominantly in the west-east direction, those with odd numbers in the north-south direction. Exceptions to this are, for example: the A 14 and the A 15.

That's right, the meter is on the gas supply to the whole house so no gas appliances would run unless the meter was fed. Given that this was the type of meter mostly used by people in some level of poverty I'm sure there were many people caught between deciding whether to starve or freeze.
I'm keeping the pickle.
Sounds like it. I don't think I've ever come across it here, and only come across forced air once. Hot water is pretty much ubiquitous here, but I guess it suits our climate.

I have a question for fellow American Gogers. I often see these characteristic cars in American movies. They are mostly green and have this typical "wood paneling" on the sides. See the pic below:

https://blog.autotempest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/CA15_r0266_21.jpg

Now I would like to know, if there is a special term for these cars or for the paneling. Are they always from the same producer or can you buy any car with this wood paneling? How common are these cars? Are they classic cars or can you buy modern cars with this? I never saw other models than station wagons with it.