PG&E offers incentives to conserve natural gas

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is offering customers an incentive to control their heating costs in the coming months through the “Winter Gas Savings Program.”

  The program will give qualifying residential and business customers a credit of up to 20 percent on their natural gas bill for reducing natural gas usage during January and February 2009 by 10 percent or more. Last year, about 1.7 million customers reduced their gas usage and earned a bill credit through the program formerly known as PG&E’s 10/20 program.

  “Our northern and central California energy customers are among the most energy- efficiency conscious in the United States,” said Helen Burt, PG&E’s senior vice president and chief customer officer. “The Winter Gas Savings Program recognizes their commitment to reduced energy consumption and rewards them for it.” 

Customers who reduce their cumulative gas usage during January and February, 2009 will receive a bill credit on their March or April gas bill. For every percent decrease in consumption, up to 10 percent, customers will receive an equal percent credit. Customers who reduce their gas usage by 10 percent or more will receive an automatic 20 percent credit. Every PG&E customer is eligible and automatically enrolled in the program.

To maximize the bill credit, customers should begin conserving when they receive their December energy bill.

To help customers conserve natural gas this year, PG&E offers informative tips, tools and resources on a new interactive Web page. This Web page allows customers to calculate their savings or send an “Appliance-Gram” to family and friends to help them discover ways to save natural gas and money this winter. These tools can be found at www.pge.com/wintergassavings.