Is Your Gas Bill Suddenly Unusually High?

Does your gas bill seem unusually high compared to previous months?

It is probably not due to a gas leak. Gas leaks are noticeable by their strong, rotten egg odor. It is unlikely your bill over the course of a month would dramatically increase due to a gas leak because you would notice that almost immediately by the smell. Gas leaks are not like water leaks, which could be in a faulty toilet or dripping under your house or in a cabinet or basement and continue for days or weeks without being noticed.

Do you pay your gas bill in total every month? If you make partial payments and keep a balance due, and suddenly there is a cold weather snap like this past winter, a higher monthly bill, combined with previous balance dues can add up to a high bill. If you’re facing financial difficulty and need a special payment plan, call 646-7000. Next time your bill is completely paid, immediately sign up for the Equal Monthly Payment Plan at 646-7000 so your gas bill is spread out evenly over 12 months and you won’t experience these sudden spikes during unusually cold months.

What is your thermostat set on? Even in the coldest weather, you should keep it at 68 and turn it down to 59 at night or whenever you are away from home for more than a couple of hours. You should never use a gas oven for heat by leaving it on all day or night with the oven door open. That is dangerous. Anything coming in contact with the burners could start a fire, or a burner blowing out could emit deadly carbon monoxide. It is also costly because the oven runs continually and doesn’t turn off when the room has reached the desired temperature. Never use an oven to heat the house.

Learn to dress in layers. Thermal undershirts and leggings, with regular clothes over them, socks and slippers, stocking caps, sweaters and housecoats will keep you cozy for free. It's also better to sleep in a cool house. Breathing warmed air continually is irritating to the nasal passages and dries out your sinuses. Keep bowls of water near (but not on top of) the heating vents to evaporate moisture into the air.

Open the drapes on sunny days and take advantage of the sun's warmth whenever possible. 

Change your furnace filter. A dirty filter will keep your furnace from working at its most efficient.

Are your heating vents blocked by rugs or furniture? Is the fireplace damper open, letting in cold air? Close it.

Is your house weather tight? Do you have cold air coming in through the windows and outside doors? You might need weatherstripping, plastic sheeting, or more attic insulation. Even throwing a blanket over the curtain rod might help. Are the storm windows fully closed? Check the top of the windows. If you don’t normally lock your windows, the top might be open just enough to be letting in cold air.

Did the month of the high bill happen during a month when there were several holidays, snow days or vacation days and you and your family were home more often, with the thermostat set high, cooking more and drying more loads of laundry than usual? That's another reason you could be seeing a spike.

Cold Weather Policy for Service Disconnection

Gas service will not be disconnected when the daily temperature is equal to or less than 32 degrees from Dec. 1-March 31 if

• The below freezing forecasted temperature is for a 24-hour period
• It occurs on a Friday or any time during the following weekend
• The customer has a Life Support coded account which indicates elderly, senior care, dialysis or medical

If payment is not received, service will be disconnected on the next business day that the temperature is predicted to be above 32 degrees for the next 24 hours, or during the weekend.

Unless the service is for a daycare center, nursing home, church or bulk metered multi-dwelling where occupants reside, temperature will not prevent disconnection of these services. 

Confirmed theft of service situations will be disconnected regardless of weather conditions.

Thank You DPU for All That You Do!

Without the Department of Public Utilities...

Our streets would be dark and dangerous

Our drinking water would be dirty and unhealthy

Our houses would be cold, without natural gas heat or hot water

Our raw sewage would run through the streets and cause disease

Our river would be dirty and polluted!

Thank you DPU, for all that you do!

Lightning Strikes Can Cause Gas Leaks Through Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing

If your home or business was built after 1990 or you had work done to your natural gas system, it's likely that corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) was installed.

If lightning strikes a structure containing CSST, there is a risk it can travel along the structure's natural gas piping system and cause a leak, or in some cases, even a fire.

CSST does not connect directly to appliances, but runs through a home or business, sometimes under floors, along sidewalls, or in the attic. It is a flexible, stainless steel pipe and often has a yellow, or sometimes black, casing.

CSST gas piping systems should be bonded to the electrical service grounding system at the point where the gas service enters the building. The bonding jumper should not be smaller than a 6 AWG copper wire or equivalent.

If you find CSST in your home or business, it is recommended that you contact a licensed electrician to make sure it is properly bonded and grounded. If you are unsure whether your building contains CSST, contact a building inspector for a professional inspection.

T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge Project

The city has been working with the state to clear woody vegetation near the Brown’s Island Dam. This work needs to be done before work begins on the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge (TTPMB). In order to get to the dam, the contractor will need to prepare an access road.

Work began Nov. 18. In order to get to the dam, and to construct the access road, a fair amount of clearance was required. This clearance would have occurred anyway for the TTPMB. 

This is good news for those who have waited so long for the TTMPB to start…and shows real progress on the implementation of the Riverfront Plan.

•Brown’s Island Dam (BID) is regulated by the Dept. of Conservation and Resources, State of Virginia as a Low Hazard (Special Criteria) dam and therefore all woody vegetation within 25 feet of the structure is to be removed. Reference: Impounding Structures Regulations, 4VAC 50-20-10 et seq., including 4VAC 50-20-105, Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board.

•The dam inspection report by DPU’s consultants Dewberry Consultants, LLC, 12/27/13 recommends the removal of woody vegetation and debris in the south section of the dam and along various piers.

•Requests for removal schedules by PDR were followed by DPU’s request to investigate the possible plan through DPU’s annual contracts.

•A draft drawing shows a tree removal plan that will benefit both the TTPMB project and meet the Low Head Dam requirements. It included a construction entrance that can be used by the successful BIDW contractor from day one to access the lower Southside site. It also includes the erosion and sediment controls required for the small amount of earth (460 square feet) that will be disturbed at the construction entrance. All trees are proposed to be chipped to the ground with no land disturbed. A safety fence adjacent to N-S tracks is shown as a precaution/boundary. DPU and PDR reviewed this plan.

•PDR worked with the TTPMB consultants, Hargreaves Associates, to approve the proposed tree removal routes and actions by G L Howard with comments that would require removal of the wood chips from the sites for future construction access. This would increase the cost and an agreement to spread the chips with future removal was reached.

•Work will begin with all permits in hand after November 18, 2014 and weather-permitting be finished by the end of the month. Work on the TTPMB will begin in earnest by the end of the year.

The Brown's Island Dam that the Potterfield Memorial Bridge crosses is classified as a low hazard dam by the State of Virginia. The state dam safety office thus requires the City of Richmond, the owner of the structure, to maintain a 25-foot clear zone free from woody vegetation around the dam. Clearing this vegetation is a state-mandated part of dam maintenance and Department of Public Utilities contractors will be completing it to fulfill State of Virginia dam safety requirements over the next month.

This required maintenance activity will also help support the construction of the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge and paths. DPU contractors will be clearing the same pathway that the Potterfield Memorial Bridge will take in order to access the Brown's Island Dam and move machinery for the dam maintenance activity while limiting impact on the area. The clearing of vegetation in this area will help prepare the area where the elevated pathway for the Potterfield Memorial Bridge will be constructed over the next year. 

The Potterfield Memorial Bridge project has several important sustainability features, including: avoiding all impact to designated wetlands and the floodway, capturing run-off on site in bioswales, and improving water quality of run-off. Over 1,000 native ferns, shrubs, and trees will be planted as part of the project.

Concerned about Lead in Your Drinking Water?

Although the water that flows through your pipes is safe, homes built prior to the mid-1980s may contain lead piping or lead soldering of copper pipes that may lead to small amounts of lead being deposited into the water that comes into your home. 

In accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mandate, DPU does residential lead testing every three years. The majority of these samples show lead levels in DPU’s service area well below the minimum levels as dictated by the EPA. 

1. WHAT ARE THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF LEAD? Adults who drink water containing traces of lead, over many years, could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure. The greatest risk of lead exposure is to infants, young children, and pregnant women. 

2. WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF LEAD? Lead is a common metal found in some household products. For most children, the primary sources of lead exposure are deteriorating lead-based paint, lead-contaminated dust, and lead-contaminated residential soil. 

3. SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT LEAD IN MY DRINKING WATER? Lead soldering of pipes was banned in 1986. If your home was built prior to 1986, have a licensed plumber or private home inspector inspect the lines, or have your water tested for lead levels. New brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead into drinking water. The law currently allows end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, with up to 8 percent lead to be labeled as “lead-free.” 

4. WHAT CAN I DO TO REDUCE EXPOSURE TO LEAD IN DRINKING WATER? If you have lead piping or lead soldering of your pipes, flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your family’s health. It uses less than one or two gallons of water and costs less than 42 cents per month to follow this practice regularly. After your water has been sitting in your home’s pipes for several hours—for instance in the morning, or when you return from work or a trip away from home—you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to two minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking. Run the tap until the water becomes noticeably colder to the touch. 

The water that runs from drinking water taps does not have to be wasted. You can use this water for cleaning or for watering plants. You may want to keep a container of drinking water in your refrigerator, so you don’t have to run water every time you need it. Avoid cooking with or drinking water from the hot water tap. Hot water dissolves lead deposits. To heat water for cooking or drinking, draw it from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit the National Sanitation Foundation website at www.nsf.org to learn more about plumbing fixtures that contain lead. For more information on reducing lead exposure around your home and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/lead, call the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD, or contact your health care provider. 

Consumer Confidence Reports on water quality are made available annually to City of Richmond customers by the Department of Public Utilities and contain information on lead and copper levels. Email dpuc@richmondgov.com to receive the latest copy or download it online at www.richmondgov.com/PublicUtilities/WaterQualityReports.aspx.

Cold Weather Tips for Preventing Frozen Pipes

Cold weather tips for your plumbing:

Open up the cabinet doors under your sinks to let the warm air from the house keep your pipes warm.

If any of your plumbing pipes run through unheated areas of your home, let the faucet drip until temperatures are above freezing again.

If you turn on the faucet and no water comes out, or it comes out very slowly, call a plumber right away. Turn off your water at the main shut off valve. Your pipes are frozen!

Never thaw out frozen pipes with an open flame. You will burn your house down or damage the pipe. Use a hand-held hair dryer instead, but not if there’s standing water on the floor! (If there’s standing water, thaw out frozen pipes with hot towels, not anything electric.) Direct the air from the dryer toward the faucet and work your way to the end of the pipe.

If you leave home for an extended period during the winter, don’t turn your heat off unless you have bled all the pipes first. Do that by turning off the water at the main and then running all the faucets until they run dry. If you are away for a short time, don’t turn your heat off or too low. You may come home to frozen pipes!

Wrap water pipes in insulation or lawyers of newspaper, tied on with plastic bags.

Remove, drain and put away your outdoor hoses. If they are out in the yard with water in them, they are going to burst.

If you lower your thermostat at night, don’t do it when the weather is below freezing. Keep those water pipes warm!