Frigid weather caused record natural gas usage

Frigid weather

caused record natural gas usage

The arctic blast that

sent temperatures plummeting in Georgia this past week resulted in a new

Atlanta Gas Light Company (AGLC) recordfor natural gas usage.

With temperatures

hovering around 8 degrees and a wind chill of minus 15 on Friday, Jan.

24, Georgians used a peak 2.16 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas.

The previous record was 2.04 Bcf set on Feb. 4, 1996. The average daily

winter use is 1.5 Bcf.

"While

a segment of this increased usage can be attributed to the growth of the

number of natural gas customers in Georgia since 1996, Friday was the

coldest weather we have had in seven years," said Isaac Blythers,

president of AGLC. "The priority for most people was staying warm."

Natural gas

is used to heat 85 percent of homes in Georgia. Homes that use electricity

for heat also depend indirectly on natural gas, which fuels electricity-generating

plants in Georgia.

Anticipating

the higher demand, AGLC was ready with triple the staff and trucks on

evening shifts. Blythers said 150 service representatives and about 112

trucks responded to customer requests and emergencies.

At the same

time, pressure control operators and other field personnel were busy around

the clock opening and closing valves to keep the system's pressure balanced.

Due to the

heavy use, there was a temporary outage Friday because of lost pressure

in the pipelines, but that affected only about 200 customers, less than

a tenth of one percent of AGLC's 1.5 million customers. Service was quickly

restored.

Customers who

experience problems with their natural gas heat should call AGLC at 770-907-4231

in the metro Atlanta area, or 1-877-427-4321 outside the metro area.

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