LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- To help lower
the risk of possible natural gas and electricity shortages this
winter, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the
launch of a new energy conservation alert program designed to raise
awareness about ways Southern Californians can reduce their natural
gas use during periods of cold weather this winter. Beginning
December 1, SoCalGas will issue a
"Dial It Down" Alert during periods of cold weather when local
demand for natural gas for home heating, hot water, and cooking can
increase rapidly and put a strain on the natural gas system. Dial
It Down Alerts are similar to the Flex Alerts issued by the
California Independent System Operator (CAISO) that call on
customers to conserve electricity for a specific period of time. If
a Dial It Down Alert is issued this winter, SoCalGas will determine
the duration of the conservation effort and will announce when the
alert has ended.
"SoCalGas has helped pioneer conservation efforts for decades,
and our efforts to date have saved our customers more than
$670 million in energy costs and have
reduced emissions equal to removing 700,000 cars from the road,"
said Dan Rendler, director of
customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. "The new Dial It Down
Alerts and our ongoing work to deploy more smart thermostats across
our service territory will help promote energy reliability, save
customers money, and reduce emissions linked to climate
change."
To initiate a Dial It Down Alert, the utility will release a
media statement and deploy messages through social media and on the
radio calling on customers to reduce their natural gas use during
peak usage periods. When a Dial It Down Alert is called, customers
can take simple steps to reduce their natural gas use, such as:
- Setting their thermostat to 68 degrees when you are home and 55
degrees when you are not home.
- Waiting until off-peak hours to use natural gas
appliances;
- Washing clothes with cold water;
- Taking shorter hot showers;
- Reducing the temperature on water heaters;
- Running only full loads of dishes and clothes;
- Using low-flow shower heads;
- Keeping windows and doors closed when the heater is on;
and
- Dressing warmer.
To further encourage energy conservation this winter, SoCalGas
will launch the SoCalGas Smart Therm Program later this month. The
Smart Therm Program is a partnership between the utility and
participating ENERGY STAR® Certified Smart
Thermostat providers. Customers who enroll in the Smart Therm
Program agree to allow their smart thermostat to be automatically
adjusted by up to four degrees when energy conservation is needed.
In addition to the energy savings associated with the lower
thermostat setting, customers who enroll in the program will
receive a $50 incentive, plus an
additional $25 for staying enrolled
through April 1, 2019. To enroll in
the program, customers register their smart thermostats through the
manufacturer's website. They are then sent notifications through
their smart thermostat, smart phone app, or over email ten to 12
hours before a Dial It Down Alert is issued, letting them know that
their thermostats will be automatically adjusted.
In addition to the SoCalGas Smart Therm Program incentive,
customers who purchase a smart thermostat can save an additional
$75 by applying for a smart
thermostat rebate from SoCalGas. The rebate covers models from
Nest, ecobee, Honeywell, and others. To learn more or to
participate in SoCalGas' Residential Rebate Program, visit
socalgas.com/rebates.
Thanks to energy efficiency measures and new innovative
technologies, residential buildings account for only about 5
percent of greenhouse gas emissions statewide, according to the
California Air Resources Board. SoCalGas offers more than 90 energy
efficiency programs that have delivered $161
million in cost savings directly to its customers over the
past five years.
SoCalGas is a leader in researching and developing new
technologies that improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and
keep bills affordable for customers. The utility is also working to
increase the production and use of renewable natural gas, which
turns methane emissions into a source of clean and renewable energy
to fuel homes and businesses. Learn more about the environmental
and cost-saving benefits of renewable natural gas by viewing the
utility's latest video, Digesting the Facts About Renewable Natural
Gas, on SoCalGas' YouTube Channel.
Natural gas is the most affordable, reliable, clean, and
increasingly renewable energy choice for home and water heating and
cooking in Southern California and
is used by more than 90 percent of residents in the region.
According to the American Gas Association (AGA), across the
country, households that use natural gas for water and space
heating, cooking, and clothes drying save an average of
$874 per year compared to homes using
electricity for those applications.
More information on SoCalGas' Dial It Down Alert energy
conservation program can be found at socalgas.com/dialitdown.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los
Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural
gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable,
reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural gas service to
21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians—about 60 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power
plants.
SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system
infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers.
From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6
billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to
enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to
being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working
to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy
farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the
development of renewable energy storage technologies. SoCalGas is a
subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy
services holding company based in San Diego. For more
information, visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with
SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company