Atmos energy is going to cut service to some industrial customers to insure gas delivery to residential and commercial ones.
To insure that all residential and commercial customers can be serviced, Atmos is curtailing service to industrial customers north of Interstate 30 in Dallas, Tarrant and Rockwall counties. They are also interrupting service in Denton, Collin, Cooke and Grayson counties.
NBC DFW heard from many Atmos customers via our email, Facebook and Twitter accounts Wednesday, saying that their gas pressure was down to a trickle. Atmos said on Wednesday that customers may experience low pressure during times of high demand but that the low pressure wasn't indicative of a lack of supply. Atmos said there is no shortage of natural gas, but that there is simply more demand than they can supply due to how much pressure they can push through pipes at one time.
As more and more people are subjected to ERCOT's rolling blackouts, many are then using gas if available -- increasing the already high demand.
With the cold weather not going anywhere for a few days, Atmos said there are still challenges ahead in that if schools and businesses resume normal schedules, that may further increase demand.
As with all forms of energy, conservation is recommended to improve service to all customers. Atmos Energy provided the following tips to help people use less gas, and lower their gas bills.
• Set thermostats to 65 degrees. Keep warm by insulating yourself with sweaters and jackets.
• Limit early morning hot water use! Taking showers, doing dishes and laundry in the late afternoon and early evening prevents additional use at the peak wake-up time.
• Limit opening doors, etc. If possible, use the smallest living space you can, and reduce the temperature in unused spaces to 60.
• Close blinds and drapes to keep heat in unless there is direct sunlight available to help warm the space.
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The high temperature in DFW Wednesday is expected to be 18 with a low of 10. The cold weather is sticking around a few more days and more snow is possible on Friday. See more weather information here.
