CONSERVATION REQUEST

Natural gas providers have asked customers not to crank up the heat

Two of Oklahoma's regulated natural gas suppliers are asking customers to conserve the fuel between now and Friday morning.

Sunday morning, Oklahoma Natural Gas joined CenterPoint Energy in asking its customers to keep an eye on how much gas they are using.

ONG, a division of ONE Gas that serves about 884,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses, said it began preparing for last week's conditions when it sent notices to commercial and industrial customers to advise that shortages might occur.

Kent Shortridge, ONG's operations vice president for Oklahoma, said the utility doesn't expect to see any significant issues with the system it uses to deliver fuel to its customers.

But Short ridge said problems could develop if upstream suppliers of the fuel to ONG see their operations interrupted for any reason.

To that end, he said the utility currently is working to prepare trucks that carry compressed natural gas so that they can be deployed to critical users such as hospitals, if needed.

In its advisory, ONG asked its larger customers to restrict their usage rates to minimum amounts needed to safely operate, beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Impact on your bill

ONG advised all of its customers on Sunday that natural gas prices are on the climb. That, combined with t he historic usage rates, ultimately could impact customers' bills both immediately and over a longer period of time.

The utility, Shortridge pointed out, isn't allowed to make a profit on the gas it sells its customers.

However, the price it pays for the fuel over an averaged period of time is passed along to customers through periodic rate adjustments that are reviewed and authorized by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission' s Public Utility Division. Those authorizations are carried out as part of rate cases filed by the utilities that are approved by elected commissioners every year or so.

The past several years, fuel cost adjustments typically have been sought by the utilities on a semiannual basis, given that natural gas prices have been relatively stable.

But after an event like this that happened in 2000, natural gas utilities were seeking adjustments on their fuel costs monthly until markets settled down, an agency spokesman said Sunday.

Shortridge said customers can protect themselves against sticker shock in the near-term by lowering thermostats on heating and hot water tank systems, by dressing in layers of clothes, by making sure leaky windows and doors are sealed and by cleaning filters on their heating systems.

That will help them conserve the amount of gas they are using.

“It is too early to tell how much gas our customers will use, compared to last year,” Shortridge said.

However, he added that the utility already is seeing gas use rates that are running at “historic levels.”

“Overall, our systems currently are performing well,” Shortridge said. “As this event continues, we will continue to monitor our system, i ts l oad forecast, and operational statuses of our natural gas suppliers.”

CenterPoint advisory

CenterPoint Energy officials said Saturday night they asked customers who could to please lower their thermostat settings to between 60- and 65-degrees during daylight hours and to lower them another 5 to 10 degrees overnight. CenterPoint serves about 100,000 homes and businesses across southwestern, north-central and southern Oklahoma,

“This step can help ensure that all customers continue to have gas service to stay safe and warm during the intensely cold weather ,” a statement issued by the regulated utility read.

The utility also said customers could further con serve their natural gas use by lowering temperature settings on water heaters and limiting the use of hot water, and by opening blinds and shades to take advantage of the sun's natural heat during the day and closing them at night to reduce heat loss through windows.

The utility also reminded customers they should immediately report suspected gas leaks to emergency authorities and to the company.

Usually, leaks are detectable through a “rotten egg” odor that can be smelled inside or near a home or business.

If that happens, the utility requested that people don't turn any electrical devices on or off, to avoid using a garage door opener and to leave the area immediately on foot before using a phone to call for help.

Once at a safe distance, it encouraged people to report a potential leak by calling both 911 and CenterPoint Energy' s 24- hour hotline for Oklahoma at 888-876-5786.

“CenterPoint Energy apologizes for any inconvenience and thanks i ts customers for all their energy conservation efforts at this challenging time,” the statement read.