Page 7 - Sustainability Report

PUBLIC SAFETY & EMISSIONS
DAMAGE
commitment
Southwest Gas is proud to be a founding partner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program which launched in early 2016. Aligning with our commitment as an Energy Star Pollution Preventer, this program provides us the opportunity to reduce methane emissions using the Best Management Practice (BMP) Commitment. Our commitment, which focuses on the reduction of excavation damages, promotes the implementation of cost-effective technologies and practices through the year 2021.
prevention program
We take a proactive approach to managing and maintaining our pipeline systems and associated facilities. In many of our operational practices, we go above and beyond mandated pipeline safety requirements to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to our customers.
Our relatively new distribution piping system is free of any cast iron or bare steel pipelines within our service territory. Even so, we continue to enforce strict guidelines through our pipeline integrity management process to ensure optimal operations of our pipeline system.
PIPELINE
REPLACEMENT
Part of our commitment
to system integrity is continuously replacing vintage pipe throughout our service territory. Since the launch of this project in 2007,
2,535
miles of vintage pipe have been replaced.
This represents over 73% of vintage pipeline in our system.
Proactive maintenance and replacement of pipe in our system, along with an ever-increasing commitment to pipeline safety, has led to an overall decrease in pipeline leaks.
Between 2007 and 2016, Southwest Gas has seen a decrease in leaks of 28.3 percent for main pipelines and 20.2 percent for service lines. We were proud to have been identified as an AGA Top 10 company for excavation damage prevention in 2016.
Incidents
& accidents
Safety permeates the culture at Southwest Gas. We’re always striving for an accident- and injury- free work environment. Our reportable damage ratios per 1,000 tickets are consistently lower than AGA member companies’ rates.
Damage Prevention
Damages per 1000 Tickets (Rolling 12 months)
1.78
PIPE REPLACEMENT
1.39
1.37
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2014 2015 2016
2017
1.95
Conservation
& energy efficiency
Between 2015 and 2017, Southwest Gas spent approximately $24.7 million for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (CEE) programs, saving an estimated total of 16 million therms.
Our CEE programs are designed to help customers save energy and money through the use of energy-efficient equipment.
For residential customers, we offered rebates
on water and space-heating equipment, weatherization improvements, low-flow water fixtures and solar thermal water-heating systems.
For commercial and industrial customers, we offered rebates on water- and space-heating equipment, food-service equipment, combined heat and power systems and solar thermal water- heating systems.
For large commercial and industrial customers, we offered rebates in conjunction with performing an energy audit of their facilities and implementing energy-efficient improvements.
And, for homebuilders, rebates have been offered for building energy-efficient homes.
To learn more, visit: swgas.com/efficiency
CONSERVATION AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
REBATES OFFERED 2015-2017
NEVADA
CALIFORNIA
TOTAL $8.6 million
TOTAL $5 million
TOTAL $11.1 million
ARIZONA
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