I’ve been reading about people using reed switches to monitor their gas consumption. From what it seems like gas meters from a certain generation had either a magnet in the wheel which could trigger an RF433, wired or zigbee reed every 0.01m3 cycle or an IR trigger (reflector on the last number).
I have a ‘Davies Shepherd DS-5’ gas meter Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Any ideas how common it is for an old skool gas meter to have a magnet or reflector?, in particular in Australia
I am also interested in doing this.
I came across this site.
https://smarthome.ms1.de/projekte/gasverbrauch/
I am also in Australia.
Not sure of the legal ramifications of doing this in Aus.
I’m also looking for a solution to do this.
Mine is an EDMI U8 gas meter, which has a distinctly visible magnet that circles around a cog in the lower right corner. Which is also where there are slots that look intended to hold an attached external sensor.
But I called/messaged EDMI and Australian Gas Networks and got the answer that the meters sold in Australia (or to AGN, I can’t recall) don’t have the modification to allow local measurement.
From EDMI:
The EDMI U8 meter was previously available with the “pulse ready” option, as described in the brochure on our website. With this offering a sensor was fitted inside the tamper proof index (register dials), to provide the pulse output to a pulse pickup.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of demand and interest from the gas network utilities in Australia, the “pulse ready” option was never offered and therefore discontinued. In that regard, we will need to update the information on that brochure.
We have been working with the gas network utilities to offer a smart gas meter. However as an end customer you will need to contact your gas network provider for suitability.
When I followed up with these photos and asking what I was looking at, I didn’t get a further response (for just under 2 months). I’ve sent a nudge email today.
I also spoke to a couple different people at my gas provider. They were very helpful, but of course wary of anyone slapping electronics around gas meters.
The specialist/technician I spoke to urged me to ensure that anything I did find/fit was certified with IECEX Zone 0 or 1, not 2. I haven’t explored further on that front.
The other day I did attempt fitting an Aqara door sensor below the wheel (with blutac!), but the small magnet (or metal?) mustn’t be strong enough to trigger it. 
I have tried a few different reed switches and havent been able to get any of them to trigger on the magnet pulse.
Which meter model do you have?
Same EDMI as yours
In another thread a UK user shared info about their meter and solution. I think its the same meter under different branding. Only theirs has the P (pulse) suffix on the model number, while our U8’s don’t. I’m not giving up hope just yet, but it’s not encouraging!
Just wondering if you had any luck with this. I have the same meter and it seems this post and a pic from Jemena are the only two mentions of it on the internet!
Anyway - I just did a quick experiment with a reed switch and a multimeter on my meter and couldn’t find a pulse at all. I’m planning to move away from Gas completely - but before I do that which is likely a year or more away - I’d love to get a better picture of our gas consumption patterns and total energy usage.
Alas, I haven’t had the time to do my testing yet.
I’ll be reporting back when I do though.
Had a proper play around today - no luck on the reed switch. Looking at the DS-5 - I think the numbers are positioned too far away from the edge of the housing, and there doesn’t seem to be and dedicated fixing point or hole to insert something like a t-probe.
I’m interested in the idea of a reflective number - might be interesting to explore.
Also - there seems to be an audible noise or vibration and the clock dial (not sure what to call it) rotates. I wonder if you could use that in some way - may be hard to dial in though 
The other option seems to be replacing the existing meter with a digital one. Both of the digital meters fitted in my area have an optical port - so it should be a case of attaching an IR sensor and counting the pulses. Also it seems replacement might be free!
Also just discovered this which uses an ESP32 and OCR to read the meter. Nifty.
