A town with a past ...

City of Summerville

...a city with a future.

The Summerville Natural Gas House

USING ENERGY AND NATURAL GAS WISELY

What is Natural Gas?
Natural gas is made up of hydrocarbon gases, primarily methane. It is usually found deep below the earth's surface, often with deposits of oil, and is removed by wells that are drilled to access the petroleum deposits.
After it reaches the surface, the gas is separated from any oil or water that may have been present in the petroleum deposit. It is then processed to remove impurities, other gases such as propane and butane, and any remaining water or water vapor.

Why use Natural Gas?
Natural gas is a fuel of choice because it is:
· Efficient
· Clean-burning (emits few pollutants)
· Flexible
· Plentiful
Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Environmental concerns have led to a number of new uses for gas to take advantage of its clean-burning characteristics. For example, electric generation facilities are choosing to build and install gas-fired turbines and to use natural gas in conjunction with other fuels to reduce emissions.

NATURAL GAS FACTS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Natural Gas is lighter than air, non-toxic and contains no poisonous ingredients. Breathing natural gas is not harmful as long as there is an adequate supply of fresh air to breathe along with it. Natural gas by itself will not burn. Combustion or explosion can occur only when there is a mixture of gas and air containing between 5%-15% of natural gas and an ignition source.

An odorant that smells like rotten eggs is added to natural gas so that it can be detected.

(1) If you SMELL A FAINT ODOR of natural gas INSIDE YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS:

Investigate immediately.

If the source of the odor cannot be located or corrected, call City of Summerville Natural Gas immediately at 706-859-0907 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.  After office hours, or if you cannot reach a person dial 911.  A City of Summerville Natural Gas representative will come to your home or business and make an inspection at no charge to you.

Open flames or sparks can ignite natural gas. That is why unburned natural gas should never be allowed to escape into a room.

Do not smoke or strike a match and never operate an electric switch, flashlight, lighter or telephone. Each of these can ignite natural gas.

Immediately open the doors and windows and quickly check to see if any appliances have been left on accidentally or if a pilot light has been extinguished, which would cause the odor (rotten eggs).

If the odor persists, TAKE NO CHANCES, get out of the house immediately, then call City of Summerville Natural Gas or 911 from a nearby phone.

Because of its unique qualities of being lighter than air with a narrow bank of combustion, natural gas is the safest energy source available. Understanding and following safety procedures will make it even safer.

(2) If a STRONG OR PERSISTENT ODOR OF GAS is present IN YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS, or if you hear A HISSING SOUND of escaping natural gas, follow this procedure:

Get everyone out of the building immediately.

Leave the door open.

Use a neighbor’s phone or cellular phone outside of the building to call City of Summerville Natural Gas or 911.

DO NOT operate any electrical switches or appliance controls and do not pull any plugs from outlets.

DO NOT call from the building.

Close cut-off valve near the gas meter and DO NOT turn it on again. (A City of Summerville Natural Gas representative will turn it on).

If possible, ventilate the building by opening doors and windows at the top and bottom. Start where the odor is the strongest. DO NOT re-enter the building for this purpose.

(3) If you SMELL OR DETECT NATURAL GAS OUTSIDE, call City of Summerville Natural Gas immediately.

FLAMMABLE VAPORS AND APPLIANCES ARE A DANGEROUS MIX

Vapors from flammable liquids can explode and catch fire causing death or severe burns. VAPORS cannot be seen. They are heavier than air and can go a long way on the floor. They can be carried from other rooms to the pilot flame by air currents.

DO NOT use or store flammable products such as gasoline, solvents, or adhesives in the same room or area near the water heater or any other gas appliance. KEEP FLAMMABLE PRODUCTS far away from your appliances in approved containers, tightly closed and out of the reach of Children.

Gas appliances such as water heaters that are installed in open garages must be installed eighteen inches (18”) above the level of the garage floor. This reduces the risk of gasoline or other flammable vapors being ignited by the main burner or pilot flame. Keep paper, curtains, paints, solvents, etc., away from gas appliances. They can be a fire hazard.

CARBON MONOXIDE

Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, non-visible gas that can be formed when fuels like charcoal, coal, gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, oil, propane or wood are burned without a sufficient supply of air. Carbon Monoxide can be produced when appliances are not properly installed, maintained or used; when vent pipes become clogged with debris; when vent pipes have gaps, leaks, spaces and rust-thru spots; also when appliances are improperly vented and too many appliances are vented to one vent pipe. Exposure to Carbon Monoxide poisons the body and can cause serious illness or death. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, and nausea. The best prevention for carbon monoxide problems is to have appliances installed properly and periodically inspected.

WATER TEMPERATURES OVER 125 DEGREES CAN CAUSE SEVERE BURNS

Children, the disabled and the elderly are at highest risk of being scalded. See instruction manual before setting the temperature at the water heater. Feel water before bathing or showering. Temperature limiting valves are available. See your water heater owner’s manual.

ACCIDENT PREVENTION BEFORE YOU DIG

Whether you are building an addition, laying a patio, planting a garden, or just digging a posthole for a mailbox or if you plan to excavate, trench, bore, blast, drill, grade, or just dig somewhere, Georgia state law requires you to call the Georgia Utilities Protection Center at 1-800-282-7411, 72 hours prior to such excavation. All expenses for the utility locating service are paid by the utilities in an effort to prevent damages to their system. GAUPC will in turn notify us and other member utilities that may be in the area of your project. We will then locate our facilities and work with you to ensure the safety of your project and our gas lines.

If a gas main or service line is exposed during digging, call City of Summerville Natural Gas. Proper attention to pipe that has been exposed can prevent problems later.

HEATING SAVING TIPS
Lower your thermostat setting in the winter. With each degree you lower your thermostat you can reduce your energy consumption about 5%. Set your thermostat 5 degrees to 10 degrees lower during sleeping hours.

In the winter, set the thermostat back to 55 degrees when no one is home for at least 4 hours or more.

On sunny winter days, let the sun help warm your house by opening your shades and drapes, especially on windows that face east, west or south. Window curtains facing north should be kept shut. At night or on cloudy days, keep all curtains and shades closed. This will help keep heat from escaping.

Rearrange furniture by placing it against inside walls – you're less likely to feel cool drafts if you're not sitting next to the outside walls.

If you are going to be away from your house for an extended period of time, lower the thermostat to the lowest possible setting, but do not shut it off. The lowest possible setting will give you protection from pipe freezing. Natural gas heat will recover quickly after you return.

In the winter, adjust your heating registers so that the hot air flows down across the floor. Remember, warm air rises.

Reversing ceiling fans in wintertime will keep the rising heat away from the ceiling and distribute it more evenly around the room, especially in rooms with particularly hot spots (like rooms with a wood stove).

For gas furnaces, make sure there's a good supply of air available so that the gas burns efficiently and safely.

Use kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans sparingly in cold weather. In just one hour, these fans can blow away a household of warm air.

HEATING AND COOLING SAVING TIPS
Don't heat or cool unused space in your home. Close registers in extra rooms. However, do not close more than 20 percent of the registers in your home. This might interfere with the operation of the central heating/cooling system. Adjust vents to keep specific rooms of your home at a desired temperature. Heat rises, so you may want to partially close upstairs vents. Check with your heating contractor to see if this will work well with your heating system design.

A dirty filter can drive up the cost of heating and cooling your home. Change or clean filters in heating and cooling units at least six times a year.

Try to keep closet doors shut. Clothes or stored items do not need to be heated or cooled.

Closets and cabinets on outside walls can leak a great deal of air, so make sure the doors fit snugly and keep them tightly closed.

Move furniture away from your heating/cooling registers. Blocked registers make furnaces/air conditioners work harder and inhibit proper air circulation, which can result in a higher energy bill.

Keep windows and doors closed to prevent heated/cooled air from escaping.

Have the evaporator coil cleaned to enhance heat transfer, moisture removal and air flow—this can help you save up to 15 percent on your heating and cooling costs.

WATER HEATING SAVING TIPS
Consider switching your oil or electric water heater to an energy-efficient natural gas water heater. Natural gas heats water more efficiently and quickly so you have plenty of hot water when you need it. (It heats twice the water for ½ the cost in comparison to an electric water heater).

Take shorter showers instead of baths. A shower saves 4 to 5 gallons of water.

Run your garbage disposal with cold water only.

Be sure your faucets are shut off tightly, especially the hot water.

If you have a gas water heater, remember to set it on "pilot or vacation" when you go on vacation or whenever you are gone for two days or more. If you have an electric water heater, turn it off unless freezing is a possibility.

Lower the thermostat setting on your hot water heater to setting of 120 degrees. You can save up to 5% in energy consumption. (Note: some dishwashers require a setting of 140 degrees. We suggest you check your owner's manual before you take this step).

Be sure that dishwashers and washing machines are fully loaded before running.

Repair leaking hot water faucets. A leak of one drop per second wastes over 250 gallons of hot water a month. It's a simple and low-cost job to do and you will see savings on your water bill.

Check your water heater manual for instructions and drain sediment from the water heater tank at least annually. Removing sediment promotes proper heat exchange and extends the life of the water heater. Check the website of your water heater's manufacturer if you've misplaced your manual. Many are available on-line.

CLOTHES DRYING SAVING TIPS
Consider switching your electric clothes dryer to a gas clothes dryer. A gas dryer operates at 1/3 the cost of electric clothes dryer.

Organize your laundry load, dry clothes together which need the same time and temperature, and try to dry full loads only.

Clean the lint filter before drying each load. A clogged filter makes the dryer work harder and uses more energy to get clothes dry. Also clean the dryer drum periodically to remove lint.

If the dryer has an automatic cycle, use it. Over-drying wastes energy and increases wear and tear on clothes.

A vented dryer blows excess moisture and lint outdoors and cuts drying time. Be sure the flap on the outside of the vent closes completely when the dryer is not in use.

Dry your clothes outdoors on sunny days.

THERMOSTAT
Install a programmable thermostat and set it to accurately follow your schedule. If no one is home during the day, there's no need to keep your house warm or cold. Using a programmable thermostat, you can adjust the times you turn on the furnace or air-conditioner according to a pre-set schedule. Programmable thermostats can store and repeat multiple daily settings (six or more temperature settings a day) that you can manually override without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program.

Clean your thermostat yearly to keep it accurate. Just remove its cover and blow away accumulated dust.

To more closely monitor your thermostat, place an inexpensive thermometer next to it. Use the thermometer to gauge the accuracy of your thermostat.

Make sure your thermostat is located on an interior wall. Keep sources of heat, like lamps, stereos and televisions, away from the thermostat. They will interfere with its ability to measure the room temperature accurately.

MISCELLANEOUS SAVING TIPS
Turn off all lights, televisions, radios and appliances when not in use.

Use low-wattage light bulbs and replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones whenever possible.

ENERGY SAVING RECOMMENDATIONS ($)
Put a vapor barrier such as polyethylene on top of the bare ground underneath your home to prevent your home from absorbing a lot of moisture. Since between 25 percent and 33 percent of the energy used by an air conditioner goes into moisture removal, this can have a nice impact on your energy bill. Also, exhaust fans can help you remove the moisture that accumulates from cooking, bathing and washing clothes.

Make storm windows out of sheets of plastic. For maximum effectiveness, we recommend a thickness of at least 6-mil. Stretch the plastic as tightly as possible to minimize air movement between the plastic and the window glass.

Tape clear plastic sheeting to the inside of your window frames if drafts, water condensation, and frost are present. Install tight-fitting, insulating window shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.

Cover window air conditioners tightly on the inside with plastic or special air conditioner covers. Also weather-strip around the air conditioner to seal between it and the window frame.

Seal leaks and caulk around windows, outside doors, baseboards, exhaust fans, dryer vents, places where pipes, ducts, and wires enter the house and where the walls meet the foundation, with caulking or weather-stripping. Doing this may seem insignificant, but a crack just one-sixteenth of an inch wide around the circumference of an average-sized window lets about as much heated air escape as would a three-inch square hole in the wall. Also, in places where your old caulk has deteriorated, re-caulk to make an airtight seal.

Use insulated or heavy curtains, especially on windows facing north.

Put up thermal shades or shutters. They close very tightly and are one of the most effective ways to stop heat loss through windows.

Replace broken windowpanes immediately. Cover the open pane temporarily with a tight-fitting piece of cardboard. If you have a cracked pane, tape the crack with weather-stripping or freezer tape until you are able to fix it.

Weather-strip doors and windows, even the doors of rooms you're not using, as well as closet doors. Felt strips with adhesive backing or plastic V-strips with adhesive backing are available at hardware and home improvement stores. If there is a gap at the bottom of the door, attach a simple door sweep to seal it off. Door-shoes or insulating thresholds last longer, but are harder to install. Weather-strip any of your interior doors that lead to such places as the garage, basement or attic. For added efficiency, insulate them on the cold side with fiberglass batts.

If you have ceiling fans, make sure the mountings are snug and tight. Use clear caulking to seal any leaks. Even minor cracks around the base can let in lots of cold air.

Install flow restrictors or low flow faucets and low flow showerheads. These devices can cut the cost of taking a hot shower in half. Flow restrictors cost less than a dollar, are easily inserted into the showerhead and cut the flow of water virtually in half.

Purchase some inexpensive, pre-cut insulation gaskets and seal out the cold air entering your home through electrical switches and outlet plates, particularly those on outside walls.

Stuff batt insulation or add foam sealant into any gaps where pipes and ducts enter the living space from unheated portions of your home. Insulate ducts and hot water pipes that pass through unheated areas. Start with one or two and do others as you can.

Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior walls, basement walls, floors, and crawlspaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your area. One of the more cost effective ways to make your home more comfortable year-round is to add insulation in the attic. Add insulation whenever possible, perhaps just a little bit at a time. Eventually you will have improved the whole house.

Insulate your electric water heater tank and pipes. Most experts recommend not adding insulation to a gas-fueled water heater as this can create a fire hazard.

Check your ducts for air leaks. First look for sections that have separated and then look for obvious holes. Insulating ducts in unconditioned spaces is usually very cost effective. Ducts are a hidden savings opportunity. You can lose up to 60% of your heated air before it reaches the register if your ducts aren't insulated and they travel through unheated spaces such as the attic or crawlspace. Get a qualified professional to help you insulate and repair ducts.

Have your furnace/air conditioning system and gas appliances serviced annually by a qualified contractor to ensure safety and maximum energy-efficiency.

Consider installing storm or thermal windows and doors or double-paned glass.

Replace your heating/cooling unit with a system of higher efficiency. When buying a new heating/cooling system or appliance, compare energy-efficiency ratings and annual operating costs. A slightly higher initial cost for a high-efficiency unit could pay for itself in a very short time through energy savings and lower utility bills.

Install attic ventilators, end gable louvers, continuous ridge vents, roof louvers, soffit vents or roof turbines where possible. These are relatively inexpensive and can prevent summer heat buildup as well as control moisture.

COOKING SAVING TIPS

When shopping for a new gas range, consider buying one with a pilotless ignition system, which uses about 30 percent less gas than the models with continuously burning pilots.

Partially thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking them. In many cases, thawing foods allows you to reduce the recommended cooking time by 30 percent.

Preheat your oven as little as possible. Most foods don't require it. For foods that require immediate heat, such as cakes, pies and soufflés, preheat for 10 minutes only.

Don't turn your stove's burner on until all the food in your utensil is ready to be cooked.

To reduce the amount of energy it takes to boil water, start with water that's already hot from the tap. Also, use minimum amounts of water in cooking to save both energy and food nutrients.

Turn your stove and range down to a simmer as soon as food or water begins to boil. This lower setting maintains cooking temperature, cooks food more evenly and saves energy.

Resist the temptation to open the oven door to check on food while it's cooking. Each time you open it, 25 percent of the oven's heat is wasted.

Plan your meals carefully. "Oven meals," where everything can be cooked in the oven at approximately the same time and temperature, can avoid using several appliances. Or "one-place" meals can combine cooking several items in fry pans or dutch ovens.

Preparing individual servings when possible enables you to reduce oven-cooking time. For instance, cooking a meatloaf in a full-sized pan takes 90 minutes, while cooking individually sized meatloaf portions in a muffin tin requires only 30 minutes of cooking time.

When possible, cook in oven-safe glass or ceramic pans. These allow you to set your oven temperature 25° lower than a recipe calls for.

Turn off the oven about 15 to 20 minutes before the end of cooking time. The leftover heat in the oven will finish the job, if you don't open the oven door.

Cover your pots and pans with properly fitting lids. Lids hold heat in and food cooks faster.

Use the right size pot or pan for the right size range element. Exposed elements or burners radiate their heat into the air, not into the pan.

120 Georgia Avenue - P.O. Box 180 - Summerville, Georgia  30747

City Hall Phone: 706-859-0900

ctysvillega@windstream.net