Each Citizens customer will receive an educational card scented like natural gas between early December and mid-January.
INDIANAPOLIS – While many Central Indiana residents may be sending festive holiday cards this season, Citizens Energy Group will be adding an envelope with a "natural gas smell" to all customer mailboxes this month. Each Citizens customer (including those who are water/wastewater customers but may not have Citizens natural gas service) will receive an educational scratch-n-sniff card scented with mercaptan, the odorant widely used as an additive in natural gas utility lines so that it may be detected by human smell.
"We are serious about giving our customers, their families, and their neighborhoods all the needed tools for identifying and responding to natural gas leaks," said J.P. Ghio, Vice President of Energy Operations at Citizens Energy Group. "The scratch-n-sniff card program is a helpful way to safely get familiar with the odor of mercaptan, often described as a rotten egg or sulfur smell. Natural gas leaks can be dangerous if they are ignored, but sharing this card with others can significantly increase awareness and help keep our community safe."
The card includes safety information including how to identify natural gas leaks, what to do if a leak is identified, and how to avoid disruption to natural gas lines while working on home projects. More information–including an opportunity to request additional scratch-n-sniff cards–is available on the Citizens website here.
This smelly card may be included with a customer's standard Citizens utility bill or as a stand-alone mailing. Citizens expects cards to be delivered to all recipients by mid-January.
Generally, those who believe they’ve detected a natural gas leak should immediately leave the premises. Citizens customers should call the Contact Center at 317-924-3311 to report a potential leak, even after business hours. Citizens crews will respond to all calls of a potential natural gas leak at no cost to the individual customer reporting the potential leak.
About Citizens Energy Group
Citizens Energy Group provides safe and reliable utility services to about 900,000 people in the Indianapolis area. Citizens operates its utilities for the benefit of customers and the community.
Media Contact Information
Ben Easley
Phone: 317-519-1515
Email: media@citizensenergygroup.com