Boerne Utilities observed an increase in natural gas consumption from about 6 – 9 a.m. Wednesday following the bitter cold weather that moved into the Hill Country overnight.
Temperatures dropped into the teens with the windchill hovering around 3 degrees. An Extreme Cold Weather Warning has been extended until noon Thursday with temperatures expected to drop back into the teens Wednesday night.
The bitter cold combined with the increased demand resulted in isolated occurrences of natural gas supply challenges. So, what is the cause and what is Boerne Utilities doing to remedy these isolated occurrences?
Increased Supply
Boerne Utilities recently added a temporary backup supply to the natural gas system as work continues on permanent supply upgrades, which will come online this year. The system can appropriately supply customers with the services they need during peak usage, provided customers utilize their appliances as they normally would.
The backup supply has been utilized on three different days this year with no issues related to the natural gas system. In the past, these events would have caused service delivery impacts for customers, but because of the upgrades, the system was able to meet the demand of customers.
Increased Demand
Boerne Utilities saw an elevated demand on Wednesday morning as customers were preparing for work and school, which caused isolated supply issues for 10 customers who contacted our Customer Care and Billing Office.
Working Collaboratively
Boerne Utilities has been in constant communication with Boerne ISD during these cold snaps to ensure the schools are heated overnight. By doing so, the buildings utilize less natural gas and enable our utility system to better handle the increased demand as residential customers wake up and start their days.
What You Can Do at Home
There are several steps natural gas customers can take at home to optimize natural gas usage during times of increased demand.
- Keep your home temperatures steady overnight to avoid a sharp increase in demand in the morning.
- Reduce your home’s heat setting by just two degrees.
- Close off vents that serve unused rooms and close the doors to those rooms.
- Take showers in the evening instead of first thing in the morning.
- If you can postpone doing laundry until the afternoon, that will lower demand and consumption.
- Keep cabinet doors under sinks open and continue to allow faucets to drip to avoid frozen pipes.
The City of Boerne and Boerne Utilities appreciate your conservation efforts during this bitter cold weather and appreciate your continued efforts to conserve energy resources.
