Utilities that serve Great Bend and Central Kansas are asking electric and natural gas consumers to conserve energy use for the next few days due to the ongoing bitter cold snap that is straining natural gas supplies. The conditions could cause intermittent power outages across the region, utility officials warned.
In addition, Sunday night, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a State of Disaster Emergency due to wind chill warnings and stress on utility and natural gas providers. The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria.
“Due to the extended duration of historically low temperatures, we are seeing much higher natural gas use and natural gas prices have gone up,” said Kent Shortridge, vice president of operations for Kansas Gas Service. “While we do not markup the price of natural gas, these events will have an impact on customer bills. At this time, we can’t quantify what the impact will be.”
As for electricity, Wheatland Electric spokesperson Alli Conine said no rolling blackouts are expected in the Great Bend area at this time. However, Sunflower Electric, which generates power for Scott City-based Wheatland, has implemented planned outages elsewhere in its coverage area to conserve power.
As of mid afternoon Monday, the Southwest Power Pool, which manages energy delivery over a 14-state region from Texas to the Dakotas including Kansas, has downgraded the Energy Emergency Alert 3 to Alert 2, which is good news, Conine said. But, things could change should that be upgraded back to Alert 3.
As the area experiences intermittent loss of power, KGS reminded customers to be aware that one furnace or other natural gas appliances may be impacted if they have electric ignition.
Generally, electronic ignition systems switch the furnace or other natural gas appliance on prior to allowing gas to the appliance. Without electricity, the electric ignition is not operational, and gas will not flow to the appliance until power is restored.
Also, in a special meeting Monday morning, the Kansas Corporation Commission issued an emergency order directing utilities under its jurisdiction to do all things possible and necessary to ensure adequate amounts of natural gas and electricity to meet the needs of Kansas customers during the current cold snap. This included interconnected non-jurisdictional utilities that depend on them for power.
“The prolonged stretch of extremely cold temperatures has increased demand, created natural gas supply constraints, and potentially reliability issues,” said Andrew French, KCC chairman.
Importance of natural gas
Natural gas is the state’s largest energy source, accounting for more than 30 percent of the state’s portfolio, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said. Kansas maintains a natural gas storage system, which has been tapped to fill elevated demand.
Additionally, freezing conditions have prevented new energy generation in many sectors, putting further pressure on the state’s utility companies. Energy costs are expected to increase in the coming days as demand continues to outpace supply.
“It’s in every Kansan’s best interest to conserve electricity and natural gas over the next few days when possible,” he said. “Reducing your usage will help ensure everyone continues to receive these services, and it will save you money on future utility bills.”
Utilities are experiencing wholesale gas prices anywhere from 10 to 200 times higher than normal. Those costs will eventually impact customers through increases in monthly natural gas and electric bills.
“I appreciate the dedication of officials in Kansas to ensuring our businesses and residents have the natural gas and propane needed to continue powering their homes and businesses through this cold weather,” Marshall said. “We will be doing all we can at the federal level to confirm no foul play or price gouging has occurred and continue to support our utility companies and community leaders as they work diligently to keep Kansans warm.
In the meantime, “I urge my fellow Kansans to do everything they can to conserve energy and keep energy costs low,” Marshall said.
Energy-saving Measures to Reduce Natural Gas Usage
To help better manage your energy consumption over the extended winter period and help reduce your energy bills, Kansas Gas Service encourages these effective, conservation measures:
• Keep warm, not hot
When possible wear additional layers of clothing, consider turning down your thermostat and check your programmable settings.
• Seal leaks around doors and windows.
Apply weather stripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss. If that is not an option, you can also cover windows with towels, sheets or plastic to help keep the warm air in your house.
• Reduce the temperature on your water heater
Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting. If your home will be vacant for two days or more, set the dial to the pilot position for even more savings.
• Close blinds and curtains This helps keep warm air inside, especially if the sun is not shining.
• Change or clean filters
A clean filter on your furnace can lower your energy consumption by 5% to 15%. Dirty filters cost more to use and overwork the equipment.
• Hold off on doing chores
Doing laundry and washing dishes can both use natural gas to heat the water and your dryer. If you can, wait until the extreme cold weather passes to complete these activities. If you cannot wait, use the cold setting where possible.
• Install foam gaskets on electrical switches and outlets Electrical switches and outlets can account for up to 10% of your home’s energy loss.
Additionally, remember these safety tips:
• Never use your stove or oven for home heating.
• Make sure nothing obstructs a furnace’s air intake and that vents and flues are intact and unblocked to avoid the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• When removing ice and snow in the vicinity of meters, vents or flues, do so carefully so as not to cause damage.
• Leave cabinet doors open, especially those on exterior walls, to reduce the risk of frozen pipes.
• If you smell a natural gas odor, leave the area immediately then call 911 and 888482-4950.
