Southern California Gas introduces SoCalGas Advisory

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) has announced a new conservation notification programme that will reduce natural gas usage, thereby diminishing the risks of natural gas and electricity shortages in winter.

Starting from 1 December, SoCalGas Advisory will be issued under particular conditions, such as when demand for natural gas is projected to potentially exceed supply. 

Just as the Flex Alert programme used by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which issues calls for consumers to reduce electricity usage during high-demand periods, SoCalGas Advisories urge customers to reduce their natural gas use this winter.

The programme was launched to help address concerns of state agencies about regional energy reliability due to the moratorium on injection operations at Aliso Canyon.

SoCalGas vice president of customer solutions and communications Lisa Alexander said: “With the limited availability of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon storage facility at this time, there is less natural gas locally to heat homes and produce electricity, particularly during high-usage periods.

“This new conservation programme can not only help families save money, it could also help address the risk of regional electricity and heating outages this winter.”

Customers will have to sign up for this SoCalGas Advisory programme to receive notifications by email or text.

As well as alerts, the programme will also include a pilot test to evaluate the effectiveness of offering rebates as incentives to motivate customers to use less natural gas during a SoCalGas Advisory.

The pilot programme will be offered on a limited basis to select groups of customers.