Natural Gas Safety

Natural Gas Safety

Natural gas is great for heating, cooking and other uses in the home and is used by more than 50 percent of American households as their main heating source. It is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel available, is efficient, and has an excellent safety record due to the physical characteristics of the gas itself.

Possessing a very narrow range of flammability, natural gas only allows for combustion in a concentration of 4 to 15 percent per volume of air. Above and below these amounts, it will not burn. It also has a very high ignition temperature, at about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit - almost twice the ignition temperature for gasoline.

Natural gas is lighter than air, so it can dissipate into the air rapidly, making accidental combustion difficult. It's colorless, non-toxic, and has no taste in its natural state and when taken from the ground, it's is odorless.

Local utilities add a non-toxic chemical odorant called mercaptan to make leaks easy to smell. However, there may be times when the smell of the odorant is weak or not present, even though there is a leak.

These factors make accidental ignition or combustion of natural gas an unlikely event. Nonetheless, helping you learn how to use clean burning natural gas safely throughout your home is one of our top priorities. It is important for you and your family to understand natural gas and related safety information.

Gas Emergency Numbers

If you smell gas, suspect a leak or if there is an explosion or fire, call Dominion Energy right away. Use these numbers 24 hours a day, every day.

  • Georgia Customers:
    • 800-789-7272 Dominion Energy Carolina Gas Transmission
  • South Carolina Customers:
    • 800-789-7272 Dominion Energy Carolina Gas Transmission
    • 888-333-4465 Dominion Energy South Carolina Electric and/or Gas
  • North Carolina Customers:
    • 877-776-2427
  • Ohio Customers:
    • 877-542-2630. An alternate number is on the front of your bill, or in your local phone directory.
    • Dominion Energy Transmission: 888-264-8240
  • West Virginia Customers:
    • Dominion Energy West Virginia: 800-934-3187
    • Dominion  Energy Transmission: 888-264-8240
  • Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline, LLC: 800-300-2025
  • Dominion Energy Southern Trails Pipeline: 800-261-0668
  • Dominion Energy Utah, Dominion Energy Wyoming, Dominion Energy Idaho: 800-767-1689 (This is a 24-hour service.)
    Para reportar una fuga de gas natural u otra emergencia, llame al 800-767-1689, disponible durante las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana. Si necesita ayuda en Español, llame Dominion Energy Utah, Dominion Energy Wyoming, Dominion Energy Idaho: 800-323-5517.

Natural Gas Pipelines

The U.S. natural gas pipeline network is a highly integrated transmission and distribution grid that can transport natural gas to and from nearly any location in the lower 48 States.

Federal pipeline safety code requires that distribution systems comply with tough requirements for design, construction, testing, inspection, operations and maintenance from the point of connection to the point of transmission, up to and including the customer’s meter.

Natural gas distribution pipes typically are regulated by both federal and state agencies.  Distribution systems regulated by a state agency are required by law to comply with standards that are at least as stringent or more stringent than those set forth in federal minimum safety mandates.


Ohio Pipeline Assessment Projects

Dominion Energy Ohio is committed to the safety of its entire pipeline system, which requires the monitoring of its transmission, distribution, storage and gathering pipelines. The availability of Dominion Energy’s large storage assets such as pipelines, wellheads, tanks, etc., within its service area enables us to deliver sufficient, reliable supplies of natural gas to customers during periods of strong demand, such as the 2014 Polar Vortex. The company’s annual storage program involves injecting natural gas into its storage system between April and October, and then withdrawing gas from storage, as needed, during the winter heating season months beginning in November through March.

The piping leading to and from Dominion Energy’s storage assets must be inspected and tested. These lines support the Company’s annual gas storage program. DEO needs to maintain its right-of-ways, which may include the removal of trees or other unauthorized structures to complete pipeline assessments and determine the need for repair or replacement. Any affected property owners are notified of the company’s intentions by letter, in advance of the current project activities and are provided company contacts should they have any questions or concerns regarding the specific project.

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