Patent ID: 7399118

Claim:
A method for measuring a meterable gas energy supply in the private, public or industrial sphere, utilizing sensor signals (S) that are proportional to a flow rate of the gas, the method comprising: determining the signals using a gas meter by means of a thermal flow sensor, the sensor signals (S) being output as at least one of energy value signals (S E ) and corrected mass flow rate signals (S M ) based on a calibration of the gas meter as energy meter or a mass flow rate meter, wherein: a) a gas type is determined by the gas meter insofar as a non-combustible gas mixture is differentiated from a combustible gas mixture; b) the gas meter is operated with a calibration in mass or standard volume units (1/min) in the presence of a non-combustible gas mixture, and is operated with a calibration in energy units (kWh) in the presence of a combustible gas mixture; c) at least one gas type-dependent parameter of the gas mixture is determined by means of a thermal gas quality sensor; d) the gas mixture is identified as combustible or non-combustible by comparing the at least one gas type-dependent parameter with known values of the parameter for known gases or gas mixtures; e) the thermal flow sensor provides the function of the gas quality sensor, the gas mixture being guided over a first temperature sensor, a heating element, and a second temperature sensor of the thermal flow sensor; and f) the corrected mass flow rate signals (S M ) are determined from a difference of temperature signals of the temperature sensors, and the gas type-dependent parameter is determined from a sum of the temperature signals or from the temperature signal of the first temperature sensor alone.