With the heating season upon the region, PECO customers are using more natural gas to heat their homes and businesses.

All year long, PECO employees work to ensure the safe delivery of reliable energy for more than 553,000 natural gas customers. The company inspects and maintains 13,970 miles of natural gas transmission, distribution, and service lines. Also, PECO consistently ranks as one of the best companies for natural gas odor response reliability.

Over the past several years, PECO has also been implementing a comprehensive Pipeline Safety Management System, which is an industry recommended best practice developed by the American Petroleum Institute. This framework helps to reveal and manage risk, promote a learning environment, and continuously improve pipeline safety and integrity.

“Safety is always our top priority, and with many of our customers using the most significant amount of natural gas during the winter months, it’s imperative that customers also prioritize safety,” said Amy Hamilton, PECO’s Vice President of Gas Operations. “Just as PECO prepares its natural gas system for winter, customers should prepare too by maintaining their natural gas equipment and knowing how to recognize and report any natural gas concerns.”

Customers and residents should remember the following important information about natural gas:

• Natural gas has no natural odor, so an odorant is added to give it a distinctive, rotten-egg odor and help detect if a leak occurs.
• Promptly removing yourself and others from the area and thereafter reporting a natural gas odor plays a critical role in ensuring safety.

If you smell natural gas, call PECO at 1-800-841-4141, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• If you smell an odor of natural gas inside, evacuate immediately and call PECO from outside.
  • Do not open or close any windows.
  • Do not operate any electrical devices, including but not limited to lights and appliances.
  • Do not use any devices such as telephones, cell phones, radios, doorbells, or flashlights.
  • Do not smoke, strike a match, or use a lighter.
  • Do not start a motor vehicle near the building or source of odor.
  • Do not try to shut off the natural gas service.
• If you smell natural gas outside, especially near a natural gas meter, call PECO.

During winter storms, customers also should remember to:

• Keep exhaust vents for natural gas appliances like water heaters, furnaces, and fireplaces clear of snow and ice to prevent buildup of carbon monoxide.
• Keep natural gas meters clear of snow and ice by using a broom or brush to gently clear the area around the meter.

Increased usage can lead to higher bills. PECO has the highest customer assistance program participation in the state to help customers manage their energy bills. Income-qualified programs are available to help customers with past-due balance forgiveness, energy efficiency measures, hardship grants, and referrals for other services. The company also helps connect customers with programs that provide grant assistance for outstanding balances, like LIHEAP. For more information about assistance programs, customers can visit PECO.

Learn more about natural gas safety at PECO.