Customers may soon be asked to cut back on natural gas use
Recently Southern California Gas Co. (SoCal Gas) sent out a notice telling its customer to prepare for the possibility of being asked to cut back on using natural gas.
In the email, the company cited high demand and “limited availability of natural gas locally” as the reason.
SoCal Gas Media & Employee Communications Manager Anna Silva said the limited availability of gas was because of the massive gas leak in Porter Ranch discovered last fall.
Although this would be a voluntary call to conserve, there are plenty of ways to make sure your home is comfortable on these chilly winter nights while still being efficient.
“When we run the furnace to heat our homes, make sure the filter is clean, because if the filter hasn’t been changed and it’s dirty, it’s going to cut down on the efficiency of that furnace,” said Patrick Somers, general manager of The General Air Conditioning and Plumbing in Thousand Palms.
Of course, you can always turn the dial down on the thermostat too.
“Any setting above 68 degrees uses 2 to 5 percent more energy to heat the home. So if you can put on sweater and keep that setting a little bit lower than normal that goes a long way to save your gas usage,” Somers said.
Next to the furnace, the water heater can be a major natural gas guzzler. It accounts for about 15 percent of the energy usage in the home. For older water heaters, that percentage can be higher.
FULL LIST OF WAYS TO CUT BACK ON USING NATURAL GAS IN YOUR HOME
If the natural gas supply drops low enough SoCal Gas will send out advisories asking people to cut back. The company is asking people to sign up for these notices via email or text.
