Atmos Energy Offers Customers Household Safety Tips, Financial Assistance Information

By Atmos Energy Communications

Posted on March 16, 2023, March 16, 2023

Now is a great time to consider performing a few routine safety checks like inspecting your home’s natural gas piping and appliances and ensuring smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms are in working condition. Check out the Homeowner Safety webpage for more tips.

Maintain Your Natural Gas Lines

• In most states served by Atmos Energy, except Kansas, customers are responsible for the maintenance and service of natural gas appliances and natural gas lines from the meter into their homes.
• Customer-owned natural gas lines include all piping that goes from your natural gas meter to the appliances on your property. This also includes a pool or spa heater, barbeque, or other natural gas appliances. For your safety, operate appliances in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions. House piping should be tested or inspected periodically by a licensed plumber.

Monitor for Carbon Monoxide

• Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas emitted when fuel is burned in cars, trucks, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, natural gas ranges, or furnaces, and it can be poisonous to humans if it builds up indoors.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends replacing your CO detector every five years and installing a battery-operated or battery backup CO detector in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of a home.
• The CDC also advises buying a detector with a digital readout to best detect the highest level of carbon monoxide concentration.

Financial Assistance

For customers managing past due balances, Atmos Energy is here to help with financial assistance:

• Budget Billing is a great tool to help manage your budget because your natural gas bill will be more predictable every month. In the winter, your bill can rise unexpectedly as the weather gets colder. However, with Budget Billing your costs are spread more evenly throughout the year, so you are not surprised by high winter bills. Visit www.atmosenergy.com/budgetbilling to learn more.
• Installment plans are available that spread out payments of your balance over time – with no charges or fees to do so. Call 888.286.6700 to establish a plan that meets your needs.
• We also offer an online tool that compares your current bill with a previous bill so you can better understand how the weather, billing days, and charges impact your bill. Log in to the Account Center and select “Billing and Usage” to use the bill comparison tool.
• If you need help paying your natural gas bill, financial assistance is available from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program as well as Atmos Energy’s Sharing the Warmth funds through local assistance agencies. Visit
  https://www.atmosenergy.com/assistance to find an energy assistance agency near you.

Conservation Tips

Even with warmer weather on the way, there are still several steps you can take to control energy costs.

• Using energy wisely and making a few household changes can make a big difference in how much you spend on natural gas and other energy bills. Plus, you will lower your home's carbon emissions when you use less energy.
• Lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees. Water heating accounts for as much as 25% of the energy consumed in your home. 
• Reduce your shower and bath time, which can account for 40 percent of your hot water use.
•  Operate your clothes washer, dryer, and dishwasher only when fully loaded.
•  Change or clean your heating and air conditioning unit filters regularly and according to the manufacturer's instructions. Your equipment will use less energy if it ‘breathes’ more easily.
•  If you have a pool, use the pool heater sparingly.
•  Atmos Energy offers rebates for high-efficiency natural gas appliances, energy-saving devices, and weatherization upgrades for customers in Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, and parts of Texas. Visit www.atmosenergy.com/rebates for details.