Fountaintown Gas

Answers and Questions:

Why Should I Choose Natural Gas?

Affordability: Natural gas costs less to use in your home than electricity, heating oil, propane or kerosene. On average, electricity can be up to four times more expensive than natural gas when heating a home.
Convenience and Reliability: Natural gas is piped directly into your home. It’s always there when you need it, and you never have to worry about running out of fuel or arranging for deliveries.
Comfort: Natural gas heat feels warmer than heat produced by an electric heat pump.
Environmental Impact: The combustion of natural gas emits 45% less carbon dioxide than coal. Simply put – natural gas is the cleanest burning energy source for a home. • Energy Efficiency: Natural gas is highly efficient. About 90% of the natural gas produced is delivered to customers as useful energy. In contrast, only about 27% of the energy converted to electricity reaches customers.
Safety: The U.S. natural gas industry spends more than $4 billion per year on safety-related programs and is proud of its outstanding safety record.

How is My Deposit Calculated?

A customer deposit is calculated by reviewing the most recent activity of the account usage. The amount is generally one-third of the expected annual bill. A deposit may be waived if a customer can demonstrate a good payment record with a prior natural gas or electric utility for the prior twelve-months. The minimum deposit for a natural gas account is $200.00.

If my gas is turned off for the summer, why do I owe a monthly charge for those months?

The monthly charge covers fixed charges such as maintenance on meters, taxes and insurance.

Do you have a budget program?

Yes; the Gas Co. offers an equalized payment program. In April of each year a budget application is mailed out to all customers of the Gas Co. If a customer is interested in enrolling in the program, they will need to read the agreement, sign and return the agreement to the Gas Co. A customer can also fill out our online form for budget located under customer service.

Why do I need my gas lines pressure tested?

If this is a new service line or the service has been shut off for twelve months or longer, the lines need to be pressure tested. This is a safety precaution that is required prior to natural gas service being turned on at the property. A pressure test card for the Gas Co. can be picked up at the office.

Why do I need to be home to have gas service turned on?

Our trained service personnel go through specific steps to establish service. This includes making certain each natural gas appliance is operating correctly and any air that may have entered the line is purged from the line. This requires service personnel to “cycle” the appliance inside the home to make sure that when they leave, your appliances are operating safely.

Why must I call 811 to have my underground service line located?

Whenever any digging or excavation is planned around your property, the law requires a call to Indiana 811 two working days before work begins. This allows the Gas Co. time to locate the service line so that anyone digging will not damage the line causing an outage to you, and perhaps personal injury to themselves or others. Be sure to observe this requirement when performing major digging; routine landscaping or even driving stakes in the ground.

Will Gas Co. service personnel repair my natural gas appliance?

The Gas Co. does not repair appliances. Often work on an appliance by someone other than a licensed heating and plumbing contractor will invalidate the warranty. We recommend contacting a licensed contractor to perform this type of work. However; if you smell gas in your home and around an appliance, please leave your home immediately and contact the Gas Co. and service personnel will come and check for natural gas leakage in the home.

How much does it cost to have service brought to my property?

The cost involved with extending service is based on multiple factors; please contact the Gas Co. so a representative can come out and perform a survey of the property to accurately provide a cost for extending service. The survey is at no cost to the customer.

What are degree days?

A degree day is a measure of heating. To calculate the heating degree days for a particular day, find the day’s average temperature by adding the day’s high and low temperatures and dividing by two. If the number is above 65, there is zero heating degree days that day. If the number is less than 65, subtract that number from 65 to find the number of heating degree days.
- Example: The day’s high temperature is 60 and the low temperature is 40. (60+40)/2=50. Then take 65-50=15 heating degree days

What do I do if I smell gas?

If you smell that “rotten-egg” smell of natural gas: Do not use any devices that might create a spark,
- Leave the property and go to a nearby phone and call the Gas Co.; if after normal business hours call 1-800-379-1800. If you are unable to find either number, call 911
- Keep everyone away from the property until a Gas Co. representative has come and checked for any possible leaks and said it is safe to return
Remember NEVER try to find or fix a leak yourself