How Usage Affects Your Bill
Guidance for winter season gas bills.
Information on this page is for customers in
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How We Prepare Our Gas Systems for Winter
Throughout the year and long before winter formally begins, we are hard at work ensuring that the natural gas distribution system our customers depend on for heat during New England’s coldest days is operating safely and reliably.
What We Do To Prepare For Winter
- Complete all federal and state compliance activities as well as planned gas main projects before mid-November when most municipalities enforce a winter construction moratorium on their roads for all but emergency work before winter. This ensures safe operations when the temperatures drop.
- Conduct annual pipeline leak surveys by both walking and mobile survey.
- Upgrade and maintain seven Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities that are often called upon on the coldest days to fill supply gaps when natural gas pipelines serving New England are most constrained.
- Review gas system pressures and correct any abnormal conditions.
- Conduct additional leak surveys on cast-iron mains at first frost, or no later than January 1, to identify frost-related stress or ground movement that could compromise a gas main’s operation.
What You Can Do To Prepare for Winter
- Seal air leaks around doors and windows. Apply weatherstripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss.
- Replace the air filters on your commercial HVAC systems at least every three months as recommended by ENERGY STAR®. A clean air filter allows your system to work more efficiently, decreasing energy use.
- Replace manual-dial thermostats with programmable or smart thermostats. This can save your business up to 15% on heating costs.
