As Colder Weather Approaches, SoCalGas Joins LA Kings to Give Away Energy-Saving Smart Thermostats

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As winter approaches, nighttime temperatures in Southern California regularly dip into the 40s. Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will join the  LA Kings this Saturday, November 24, to give away three Nest smart thermostats at the team's Fan Fest event outside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Fans who stop by SoCalGas' booth can enter to win the smart thermostats and will also have a chance to win prizes, including a signed LA Kings team jersey, fleece blanket, beanie, and rally towel. There is no cost to enter, and thermostat winners will be announced each hour at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m.

"Smart thermostats are a great way for our customers to conserve energy and save money on natural gas bills, especially during the colder months when people use more gas to heat their homes," said Sharon Tomkins, vice president of customer solutions and strategy at SoCalGas. "We also offer great cost-saving incentives that make the purchase of a smart thermostat an even more worthwhile investment."

SoCalGas is partnering with the LA Kings for the 2018 – 2019 season to share ways Southern Californians can keep their bills affordable and improve energy efficiency, as well as the latest developments in renewable natural gas, and other programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new partnership includes radio spots and in-stadium marketing, featuring digital ads and video, in addition to Fan Fest sponsorships. For more information about SoCalGas' partnership with the LA Kings, visit socalgas.com/kings.

SoCalGas offers rebates on hundreds of home products that help save energy. SoCalGas customers can apply online for rebates in a matter of minutes. Among the most popular products are smart thermostats, which can learn residents' schedule and temperature preferences and adjust the temperature in their home automatically. Using a mobile app or computer, smart thermostats also allow users to adjust home temperatures and even use local weather conditions to help control energy costs. In addition, smart thermostats update software periodically to ensure the devices use the latest algorithms and energy-saving features available. Last winter, customers who participated in a smart thermostat energy efficiency pilot program saved enough natural gas to dry two million loads of laundry.

SoCalGas also offers a website called SoCalGas Marketplace, where customers can find and compare cost-savings on various ENERGY STAR® certified appliances. Customers can save $75 on select smart thermostats and Energy Star natural gas dryers, $200 on select water heaters, and up to $75 on select washing machines. Customers can also save money on low-flow showerheads. Over their lifetime, energy efficient appliances can save customers hundreds of dollars in energy bills— average savings from energy efficiency appliances are approximately $1,500 with a tankless water heater, $550 with a natural gas furnace, $200 with a storage water heater, and $125 with a smart thermostat.

SoCalGas is a leader in researching and developing new technologies that improve energy efficiency and protect the environment. Over the past five years, SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs have delivered more than 146 million therms in energy savings – enough to power 326,000 households a year – and have reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 775,000 metric tons – the equivalent of removing nearly 165,000 cars from the road.

In addition to purchasing energy efficient appliances, there are many simple steps customers can take to reduce their natural gas use during cold weather to help keep energy costs affordable, including:

• Setting your thermostat to 68 degrees when you are home and 55 degrees when you are not home. Lowering your thermostat three to five degrees can save up to 10 percent on heating costs.
• Installing proper caulking and weather-stripping; this can save roughly 10 to 15 percent on heating and cooling costs.
• Washing clothes in cold water to save up to 10 percent on water heating costs.
• Cleaning or replace your furnace filters according to manufacturer recommendations.
• Having your air ducts tested for leaks. Leaky ducts can cost between 10 to 30 percent in heating and cooling costs.
• Turning down the temperature on your water heater.
• Taking shorter showers to reduce your natural gas use.
• Fixing leaky faucets and pipes. Hot water leaks cause increased demand on the water heater, which increases natural gas use. One drop of water per second can waste 500 gallons of hot water per year.
• Limiting use of non-essential natural gas appliances, such as spas and fireplaces.

More tips on home energy saving are available at socalgas.com/homeenergysavings.

About SoCalGas 
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas^® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.  

SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the development of renewable energy storage technologies. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.  

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company

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