More information on SoCalGas’ Dial It Down Alert energy conservation program can be found at socalgas.com/dialitdown.

In addition to the Dial It Down Alerts, SoCalGas has taken several actions to further promote conservation and reduce local demand for natural gas, including activating SoCalGas’ Smart Therm demand response program.

The Smart Therm Program is a partnership between SoCalGas and participating smart thermostat manufacturers that aims to conserve natural gas during some cold weather events, when local demand for natural gas for home and hot water heating and cooking can increase rapidly and strain the natural gas system.

When a Smart Therm Event is called, customers who have enrolled in the Smart Therm Program are sent notifications through their smart thermostat, smart phone app, or over email (depending on the manufacturer), letting them know that their thermostats will be automatically adjusted for four hours from 5 AM to 9 AM or from 6 PM to 10 PM. 

Customers who enroll in the program agree to allow their smart thermostats to be automatically lowered by as much as four degrees when a Smart Therm Event is called. Program participants are eligible to receive a $50 incentive, plus an additional $25 for staying enrolled through April 1, 2019. Customers who enroll in the program can manually adjust their thermostat at any time.

With cold temperatures forecast for Monday, SoCalGas anticipates activating the Smart Therm program again on January 7, 2019.

SoCalGas has also been working directly with the California Independent System Operator and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to limit and/or reduce electric generation demand for natural gas, to the extent it does not impact electric system integrity.

Due to cold weather over the last week and high customer demand for natural gas, all SoCalGas storage fields, including Aliso Canyon, have been used to provide system reliability. The withdrawals at Aliso Canyon were made in accordance with the California Public Utilities Commission’s Aliso Canyon Withdrawal Protocol. Without withdrawals from Aliso Canyon, the increased demand on the system may have resulted in further curtailments to non-core customers. SoCalGas will post the withdrawal volumes on ENVOY following the conclusion of the withdrawal event.

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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 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.  

SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the development of renewable energy storage technologies. 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.