Virginia Natural Gas shares important safety tips to prep for summer
Virginia Beach, Va. – June 29, 2021 – With grill covers coming off and summer officially here, Virginia Natural Gas is sharing key appliance safety tips to help prepare for planned and unplanned events, such as damaging storms that can cut power to your home.
During the summer months and all year long, safety is the top priority for customers, and VNG offers the following safety tips:
Grilling Safety
July is the peak month for grilling fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. A stationary natural gas grill can help avoid the safety worries associated with portable grills.
Customers are encouraged to take precautions when grilling this summer:
- Use a certified natural gas contractor to ensure your natural gas line and grill connection are installed properly and according to building codes. To locate a certified contractor, use our online tool.
- All grills need proper venting and distancing from flammable objects. Position your grill at least 10 feet from flammable objects such as siding, eaves, ceilings, porch rails, overhanging branches or decorative objects.
- When purchasing a grill, be sure to shop for the right type, since stationary natural gas and portable propane grills have different connection equipment.
Generator Safety
Hurricane and summer severe weather season runs from June to November, increasing the likelihood of power outages. The safest way to supply backup power to your property during an electrical outage is with a natural gas standby generator. Different from portable generators that run on gasoline, natural gas standby or stationary generators operate automatically and can run indefinitely.
To make sure your natural gas generator is ready for storm season:
- Have your standby generator installed by a qualified contractor to ensure all building codes are followed. To locate a contractor, use our online tool.
- Work with your contractor or dealer to size the standby generator correctly to avoid overloads or inadequate power supply. Most dealers have online calculators on their websites.
For more great tips about how to use these natural gas appliances safely, virginianaturalgas.com/safety.
Also, during a storm, make sure to follow Virginia Natural Gas on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor for the latest customer updates.
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Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service to more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in southeast Virginia. Consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the company also has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for its safety, innovation, environmental stewardship, community outreach and educational programs, and has been named Local Distribution Company of the year four times since 2015. The company has been ranked by its business customers as one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry according to Cogent Reports, and as one of the Top Workplaces in Hampton Roads by Inside Business. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states and approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines, asset management for natural gas wholesale customers and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.
Media Contact:
Rick DelaHaya
o: 757.616.7510 | c: 757.323.7366 | rdelahay@southernco.com
