UniSource Energy Services is asking natural gas customers to conserve natural gas through the weekend to help ease a supply shortage in Texas and other states.
Severe winter weather has driven up demand for natural gas and contributed to power outages affecting millions of residents. Although UniSource expects to maintain a sufficient supply of natural gas to serve customers, it is joining other utilities in asking customers for voluntary energy conservation to support system reliability throughout the southwestern United States. Similar requests were issued by Southwest Gas and San Diego Gas & Electric.
UniSource requests that voluntary conservation efforts continue through Sunday, when milder weather is forecast in Texas and other states. Customers can help reduce natural gas use and manage their energy costs by following these measures:
- Turn the thermostat down. Even one or two degrees can make a difference in your gas use. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter to conserve energy, or to the level that is comfortable and safe for your family.
- Use ceiling fans to help you feel warmer. Switch the rotation of the fan blades to clockwise to pull warm air down from the ceiling and redistribute it to warm the room.
- Use best laundry practices. Up to 85 percent of the energy used by a washing machine goes to heat the water. Instead, use the warm or cold water settings and do only full loads. When using the dryer, clean the lint tray after each use and run concurrent loads so that the dryer does not need to reheat after each load.
- Avoid using non-essential appliances and equipment. This includes outdoor features like natural gas grills, torches and fire pits.
- Make sure your chimney damper is closed when the fireplace is not in use. An open damper lets heated air escape right up the chimney. Closing it keeps the warm air inside of your home.
- Take shorter showers. Cutting your 15-minute shower in half can help you save water and energy by reducing your water heating costs.
Additional conservation tips are available at uesaz.com/tips. For safety tips about detecting natural gas leaks or carbon monoxide, visit uesaz.com/gas-safety.
