In The News

PGW Reminds Residents and Contractors: Call 811 Before Digging

No matter the size of the digging project, avoid injury and property damage by
calling Pennsylvania’s “One Call” system 

PHILADELPHIA (August 11, 2022) – On August 11, National 811 Day, Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) reminds City residents and contractors to call 811 before any sized digging project, whether simply planting flowers or building a deck. Dialing 811 connects homeowners and contractors to the Pennsylvania “One Call” system, which alerts utilities to identify the location of their service or distribution lines within the scope of the proposed worksite.

The respective utilities will visit the site to either indicate that the site is clear of utility lines, or mark and/or flag the location of its infrastructure. Last year, PGW safely addressed 80,429 One Call tickets to mark underground utility lines across Philadelphia. 

Calling 811 between three and 10 business days before excavating is legally required in Pennsylvania, prevents potential injury to residents and contractors, and reduces the risk of damaging natural gas infrastructure or other underground utility lines.  

Utilities mark their lines with specific color codes: red markings represent electric power lines, conduit and power cables; orange markings represent communication lines; blue represents water; and green markings indicate sewers and drain lines. PGW marks natural gas utility lines with yellow paint or flags.

Jobsites without visible paint or flag markings should be reported to 811. Anyone who suspects that a contractor may be digging without a valid Pennsylvania One Call ticket should call 811 to alert all facility owners of a possible safety concern. In 2019, the most recent data on record, costs of damages to buried utility lines in the U.S. were estimated at $30 billion.

Calls to Pennsylvania 811 are free for homeowners and answered 24 hours a day. Notifications to the system can also be made online at pa1call.org. For more information, visit, pgworks.com/safety-reliability/call-811-before-you-dig, and follow PGW on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

In addition to encouraging everyone to “Call Before You Dig,” PGW also advises anyone who smells gas to leave the area immediately and call PGW’s 24-hour Emergency Hotline at (215) 235-1212.

To learn more about PGW’s commitment to safety, please visit pgworks.com/safety.

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Statement from PGW President & CEO on PGW’s Response to May Weather Normalization Charges

June 30, 2022 — PGW President & CEO Seth Shapiro today issued the following statement in response to PGW’s May Weather Normalization Charges:

For over two decades, PGW has had a Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA) as a component of our rates.  Utilities use this adjustment to help make customer heating bills more predictable and stable. The WNA adds a charge when weather is abnormally warm, and credits a customer when weather is abnormally cold.

Historically, the WNA has performed as intended. For several billing cycles in June, however, the equation that calculates the WNA for last month’s usage resulted in unusually large WNA charges to a large segment of customers. While the equation performed as designed, it produced an effect which is not what is intended and is unfair to our customers.

As a company, we do not believe it is fair for our customers to be impacted by the significant increase of this monthly charge, particularly as many households confront financial strain in this current economic environment. So, while all of the revenue was billed properly, and in accordance with our Gas Service Tariff, we are uncomfortable with the resulting impact.

Therefore, today PGW is filing a petition with the Public Utility Commission to reverse the WNA charges for the month of May 2022. If granted, the credits would appear on customers’ July or August bills. We encourage customers to sign up for PGW MyAccount (pgworks.com) to view their bills online and track the credit on upcoming bills.

Customers can also be assured that PGW is diligently seeking a longer-term solution to prevent this highly unusual circumstance from repeating in the future.

We regret the disruption this has caused our customers and realize how quickly news cycles accelerate so we appreciate our customers’ patience while we worked quickly to uncover the best method to respond to the issue in the right way.

We aim to get it right every time and appreciate your trust in our ability to serve you. Thank you."

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PGW OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON JULY 4, IN HONOR OF INDEPENDENCE DAY

PHILADELPHIA (June 30, 2022) – Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) offices will be closed in observance of Independence Day, on Monday, July 4, 2022. PGW’s 24-hour Emergency Hotline will remain open for emergency calls. All odor calls or gas-related emergencies should be immediately reported by calling 215-235-1212.

PGW offices will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, July 5.

Customers who need to access account information or pay their bill can log into their PGW MyAccount or make cash payments in person at hundreds of local retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Dollar General, Family Dollar, and 7- Eleven. For information, visit pgworks.com/customer-care/your-home/ways-to-pay.

PGW wishes customers, employees, and the City of Philadelphia a safe and happy Independence Day.

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