LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With inclement weather and cold temperatures in the forecast throughout our service territory this week,  Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today offered energy savings ideas and appliance rebates to help customers keep their bills affordable this winter.  

Temperatures in Southern California typically turn cooler in November and can remain cold through March.  During cold weather, it is possible to use three to seven times more natural gas than in summer months as your home heater responds to your thermostat settings and your water heater works harder to keep water hot.  SoCalGas offers the following tips to help save on energy costs:

• Customers can save 10 to 15 percent on heating costs by lowering the temperature setting on their furnace three to five degrees.
• Have air ducts tested.  Leaky ducts can cost customers anywhere from 10 to 30 percent in heating and cooling costs.
• Install caulking and weather-stripping around doors and windows.  This can save about 10 to 15 percent in energy costs.
• Clean or replace furnace filters.
• Install a smart thermostat.
• Install an energy efficient furnace.

More energy savings tips may be found here.

As a reminder, SoCalGas customers who purchase a qualifying smart thermostat model on or after August 1, 2019 are eligible for a $50 rebate. Smart thermostats can learn your schedule and temperature preferences and adjust the temperature in your home accordingly.  They also allow users to adjust home temperatures with a mobile app or computer and can even use local weather conditions to help control energy costs.  Last winter, customers who enrolled in SoCalGas' smart thermostat demand response program saved 62,000 therms of natural gas, which is enough energy to fuel 40 homes for an entire year or charge 42 million smartphones. 

In addition to rebates for smart thermostats, SoCalGas also offers rebates on other household appliances such as washing machines and dryers, water heaters and furnaces.  For more information on available rebates, visit: https://www.socalgas.com/save-money-and-energy/rebates-and-incentives/natural-gas-appliance-rebates

Over the last five years, SoCalGas energy efficiency programs delivered more than 180 million therms in energy savings for customers, enough natural gas usage for 403,000 households a year. These advances have also helped save SoCalGas customers more than $198 million in utility bill costs. In 2018 alone, SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs saved customers $57 million.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants. 

SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest natural gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an 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