LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of
its customers working or doing schoolwork from home due to
Coronavirus precautions, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas)
today offered tips for staying safe and keeping utility bills low
while still keeping comfortably warm during this late-winter cold
snap.
SoCalGas offers customers the following tips to regulate their
natural gas usage and keep energy costs low during this time:
Home Heating:
- Remember that lowering your furnace thermostat by three to five
degrees, health permitting, can save up to 10 percent on heating
costs.
- Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower and dress in layers.
If you do go out, take the opportunity to set your thermostat even
lower.
- Keep blinds open to let in natural light which can serve as a
supplement to your home heating system.
- For safety and efficiency keep all heating vents and furnace
registers free of dirt lint and obstructions.
Laundry:
- Launder items as appropriate in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions. If possible, launder items using the
warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items
completely, per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommendation.
- Dry full loads, but don't overload or over dry. Separate
lightweight and heavy clothes for more energy-efficient
drying.
- Dry two or more loads in a row to take advantage of the heat
still in the dryer.
Water Heating:
- Turn down the temperature on your water heater.
- Take shorter showers to reduce your natural gas use.
Cooking:
- Don't open the oven door while food is cooking. You can lose up
to 50 degrees in temperature and waste energy.
- Cover pots when cooking and cook by time and temperature
guides.
- Cook several meals at the same time.
- Never use the natural gas range for room heating. It is not
designed for this purpose and can create a hazardous
situation.
Staying Safe
The health, safety and wellness of its customers and employees
is foundational to SoCalGas, and staying safe is more important
than ever during the Coronavirus pandemic. SoCalGas technicians
remain available to respond promptly to customers if they smell
natural gas or think they might have a leak. As always, customers
should call 800-427-2200 in the event they suspect a gas leak.
SoCalGas customer service representatives will be asking customers
a few health-based questions before SoCalGas technicians enter the
home. Technicians will take precautionary measures such as wearing
eye protection and gloves in homes to protect our employees and
limit any potential spread of the virus.
More energy saving and safety tips can be found
at socalgas.com as well as additional information
about SoCalGas' response to COVID-19. Customers can call
800-427-2200 for any questions related to their natural gas
bills.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is
the largest gas distribution
utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable 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. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly
renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision,
SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional
natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through
2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. 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