LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced its customers saved
$55.6 million in 2019 on their annual
gas bills through SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs. The energy
savings is equivalent to removing over 265,000 metric tons of
greenhouse gas emissions and taking more than 57,000 cars off of
California roads for one year.
"SoCalGas is committed to providing affordable, clean energy and
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and one way we do that is by
encouraging our customers to take advantage of our energy
efficiency programs," said Darren
Hanway, manager of energy programs and strategy at SoCalGas.
"By giving our customers the tools they need to obtain high
efficiency gas appliances and make their existing gas appliances
more efficient, customers can both lower their bills and curb
carbon emissions."
SoCalGas energy efficiency programs include offering rebates on
hundreds of home appliances and products that help conserve energy
and reduce costs. Customers can apply for rebates quickly and
easily from a mobile device.
An energy efficient appliance, over its lifetime, will save
customers thousands of dollars in energy bills. A tankless water
heater can save about $1,500, an
efficient traditional water heater about $200. An energy efficient furnace will use about
$550 less in natural gas over its
lifetime and a smart thermostat, which can learn a customer's
schedule and temperature preferences to adjust the temperature in
the home accordingly, can save $125
over its lifetime.
Customers can use the SoCalGas Marketplace website to find and
compare energy efficient products. The site points users to rebates
of $600 on select water heaters and
furnaces, up to $500 on select
fireplaces and $50 on select smart
thermostats and Energy Star natural gas dryers.
SoCalGas continues to be a leader in researching and developing
new technologies that improve energy efficiency and protect the
environment. Between 2015 and 2019, SoCalGas energy
efficiency programs delivered more than 204 million
therms in energy savings, enough natural gas usage
for 125,000 households a year, and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions (GHGs) by over 1,000,000 metric tons, the
equivalent of removing more than 230,000 cars from the
road annually. These advances have also helped save SoCalGas
customers nearly $225
million in utility bill costs.
In an effort to not only maintain affordable utility bills for
customers but to also reduce environmental impact, the company is
focused on its vision for a 21st century energy system.
This system will provide clean, affordable, resilient and
integrated energy by replacing 20 percent of SoCalGas' traditional
natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. The
system is part of SoCalGas' vision to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America.
Renewable natural gas is a clean fuel produced from our waste
streams (i.e., sewers and food waste, as well as dairy and
agriculture waste) and can be used like traditional natural gas to
heat homes and businesses, for cooking, and to fuel trucks and
buses. RNG reduces GHG emissions because it takes more GHG
emissions out of the air than it emits as an energy source.
Research shows that replacing about 20 percent of California's traditional natural gas supply
with RNG could lower emissions equal to retrofitting every building
in the state to run on electric only energy and at a fraction of
the cost.
To learn more about SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs and
services, visit socalgas.com or call 800-427-2200. To learn more
about SoCalGas' vision, please visit socalgas.com/vision.
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