Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the company donated over 7,600 gently used and surplus tools and supplies to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) and Orange County Conservation Corps (OCCC). The items are left over from the company’s Advanced Meter project and will benefit the organizations’ respective workforce development programs.

“SoCalGas is proud to partner with the LA Conservation Corps, LATTC and OCCC, three organizations that are improving the lives of young people through high quality job training programs,” said Gillian Wright, vice president of customer services at SoCalGas. “We are glad to repurpose tools and supplies from Advanced Meter for continued use long after the project ends.”

The donated items include drills, flashlights, hammers, tool bags and wrenches. They will be used by LA Conservation Corps and OCCC Corpsmembers as they work on conservation projects, such as planting trees, refurbishing hiking trails and building community gardens, and students in LATTC’s Construction, Maintenance and Utilities (CMU) program, which provides education and training in a variety of CMU related careers, such as carpentry, plumbing and refrigeration and air conditioning.

“We are amazed at all the different ways SoCalGas supports our mission,” said Wendy Butts, CEO of the LA Conservation Corps. “This donation will not only help our Corpsmembers do their jobs more efficiently and effectively, but these items will help keep our crews safe while they work on projects in the field. Our teams cannot wait to put this equipment to good use.”

“We are grateful for SoCalGas’ commitment, as well as its continued support and service, to our community and nonprofits like ours,” added Katharyn O. Muniz, CEO of OCCC. “The materials will be invaluable to our Corpsmembers as they work on environmentally driven projects that benefit the people and communities of Orange County.”

“LATTC greatly appreciates SoCalGas’ generous donation,” said Sydney Kamlager, president of the Los Angeles Community College District. “The CMU program provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their chosen career paths. The donated tools will be an integral part of their hands-on education.”

Photos of the donated items are available here.  

$1 Billion Advanced Meter Project Nears Completion

SoCalGas’ $1.05B Advanced Meter project to upgrade approximately six million natural gas meters across the company’s service territory with advanced meter technology is nearing completion.

Advanced meters automatically and securely transmit natural gas usage data to the company’s customer service and billing center. Hourly usage data is available to customers through SoCalGas’ online My Account portal and mobile app.

The data can help customers better understand how they are using natural gas and assist them in adjusting their consumption to save energy and potentially reduce their monthly bills. Since the project began, SoCalGas has implemented new online tools for customers to view and analyze their hourly usage and costs, compare bills and create customized savings plans.

Hourly usage data also helps SoCalGas better analyze customer load patterns, which aids in the design of new energy efficiency programs. For example, SoCalGas has developed new and innovative residential conservation pilot programs that leverage advanced meter data, such as monthly energy reports that provide energy usage and comparison information and weekly “Bill Tracker Alerts.” During the 2016-2017 heating season, these programs produced an average natural gas savings of 1.6% and savings rates as high as 3.4% for customers included in the pilots.    

Additionally, advanced meters identify abnormal natural gas consumption, which allows SoCalGas to more quickly identify and respond to potential safety situations. They will also help improve air quality by reducing approximately 140,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year through anticipated decreased customer gas use and fewer SoCalGas vehicles driven by meter readers on the road.

For more information about advanced meters, 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 has committed to spending $6 billion over the next five years to modernize and upgrade its gas infrastructure, while also reducing methane emissions. SoCalGas 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. The company 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. 

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