Safety is PECO’s top priority all year long. But during the winter months as temperatures drop and heating systems are turned on, natural gas safety is even more important.
In 2024 alone, PECO completed 292 projects to replace nearly 329,000 feet of existing natural gas line with new plastic pipe, which enhances safety, is more durable, and improves service. This proactive work will help ensure that our more than 553,000 natural gas customers have safe and reliable service when they need it most on those cold winter days.
Just as PECO proactively ensures its infrastructure is ready, customers should have their heating systems checked now and inspected by a qualified technician to ensure safe and efficient operation for the season ahead.
Customers should remember the following important information about natural gas:
- Natural gas has no natural odor, so an odorant is added to give it a distinctive, rotten-egg odor and help detect when a leak occurs.
- Promptly removing yourself and others from the area and thereafter reporting a natural gas odor plays a critical role in ensuring safety.
If you smell natural gas, call PECO at 1-800-841-4141, 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week.
- If you smell an odor of natural gas inside, evacuate immediately and call 911 and PECO from outside.
- Do not open or close any windows.
- Do not operate any electrical devices, including but not limited to lights and appliances.
- Do not use any devices such as telephones, cell phones, radios, doorbells, or flashlights.
- Do not smoke, strike a match, or use a lighter.
- Do not start a motor vehicle near the building or source of odor.
- Do not try to shut off the natural gas service.
- If you smell natural gas outside, especially near a natural gas meter, call PECO.
During winter storms, customers also should remember to:
- Keep exhaust vents for natural gas appliances like water heaters, furnaces and fireplaces clear of snow and ice to prevent buildup of carbon monoxide.
- Keep natural gas meters clear of snow and ice by using a broom or brush to gently clear the area around the meter.
Increased usage can lead to higher bills. PECO has the highest customer assistance program participation in the state to help customers manage their energy bills. Income-qualified programs are available to help customers with past-due balance forgiveness, energy efficiency measures, hardship grants, and referrals for other services. The company also helps connect customers with programs that provide grant assistance for outstanding balances, like LIHEAP. For more information about assistance programs, customers can visit peco.com/help.
For more information about natural gas safety, including a video on what to do if you smell gas, visit peco.com/gassafety.
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