LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today reminded customers only four days remain to register for this winter's Smart Thermostat Program, which closes this Thursday, March 1. The program gives customers up to $75 in incentives to register an ecobee or Nest smart thermostat to conserve natural gas for home heating this winter. Smart thermostats give users the ability to remotely control their home's temperature via a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer; some are even controllable with virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa and Google Home.
"Smart thermostats are a great way to save money on natural gas bills, especially during the colder weather we're having now," said Dan Rendler, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. "The energy cost savings, combined with our Smart Thermostat Program incentives, plus $50 in rebates, make this a great time to buy one of these thermostats."
Customers participating in the Smart Thermostat Program agree to allow minor adjustments to be made to their thermostat temperature settings for a few hours on days when SoCalGas calls a Natural Gas Conservation event. These events help lower the risk of possible natural gas shortages when demand is at its highest. Participants are notified at least two hours before any adjustments are made via their smart thermostat, web portal, mobile app and/or email.
Owners of ecobee or Nest-registered devices with natural gas-heated homes in SoCalGas' service territory are eligible to participate in the Smart Thermostat Program, with the exception of those enrolled in Southern California Edison's (SCE) Save Power Days summertime electric demand response program. SoCalGas and SCE are working on a process that will allow dual-enrollment across both programs by next winter.
SoCalGas customers who enroll in the program will receive $50 for signing up by March 1 and another $25 for staying enrolled through the duration of the program, which concludes on April 1. These incentives can combine with a $50 purchase rebate on a smart thermostat for a total of $125 in savings for customers who take advantage of all three. Customers who participated in the SoCalGas Advisory Thermostat Program with ecobee devices last year will receive $25 for their full participation in the Smart Thermostat Program this year.
In Southern California, more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas to heat their home and hot water. According to the American Gas Association, households that use natural gas for water and home heating, cooking and clothes drying save an average of $874 per year compared to homes using electricity for those applications.
SoCalGas is a leader in energy conservation, helping to keep natural gas bills affordable for customers and protecting the environment. Since 1990, the company's energy efficiency and rebate programs have helped families and businesses save approximately $672 million on their natural gas bills and reduced emissions equal to taking almost 700,000 cars off the road.
More information about smart thermostat rebates is available here. For information about the Smart Thermostat Program, click here. To enroll in the program with an ecobee device, click here, and to enroll with a Nest device, click here.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 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.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company