Orange & Rockland: Clear Away Snow, Ice to Keep Gas Service Safe

In the aftermath of Monday’s nor’easter that buried the region in deep snow, O&R urges its customers to take an extra minute for safety’s sake to clear snow and ice away from the equipment that delivers natural gas to their homes and businesses.

O&R asks customers to carefully clear snow and ice away from the natural gas regulator and meter as well as any outdoor vents associated with gas equipment. If possible, use a broom instead of a shovel to minimize the chance of damaging the piping. Keeping the equipment and vents clear of ice allows for safe delivery of natural gas.

If the outside equipment that regulates the natural gas flow into these buildings becomes clogged with snow or caked with ice, the effectiveness of that equipment could be impaired and have serious consequences.

O&R also warns that snowplowing and snow dumping operations close to the natural gas equipment increase the risk of damage. O&R urges snow removal operations to dump and pile plowed snow away from O&R natural gas equipment.

If you smell natural gas, leave the area immediately and, from a safe location, call O&R’s Gas Emergency Hotline 1-800-533-5325. Also, call if you suspect that natural gas equipment has been damaged or that a natural gas appliance is malfunctioning.

About O&R

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, is a regulated utility. O&R provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State (where its franchise name is Orange & Rockland) and northern New Jersey (where it’s Rockland Electric Company) and natural gas service to approximately 130,000 customers in New York.