For the past 13 years, Citizens Energy Group has partnered with the Parks Alliance of Indianapolis (formerly Indy Parks Foundation) and Indy Parks to refurbish a facility in need. Sharing the Dream is an annual event held each January to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Typically, Citizens employees volunteer for the multi-day community service project. This year, however, due to the pandemic, Citizens employees were not able to volunteer for the project, but Citizens, along with many of our partners, contributed $100,000 in donated materials and labor to refurbish the Pool House at Frederick Douglass Park.

On Saturday, March 6, the 5,000th tree in Citizens Energy Group’s 10 Thousand Trees initiative was planted at Haughville Park on the city’s west side. The 10 Thousand Trees project started in 2017 as a partnership between Citizens, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), and the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) to beautify neighborhoods and support the DigIndy Tunnel System, which will nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to area rivers and streams.

As required by federal, state and local regulations, Citizens Energy Group enforces its Backflow Prevention and Cross Connection Control Program to keep our drinking water safe. Customers with backflow prevention devices play an integral role in ensuring water safety, quality and reliability for the entire community through the installation, maintenance and annual testing of their devices in compliance with these regulations.

With spring weather arriving in central Indiana, you may want to think about shutting down your facility’s steam service. Failing to properly shut down steam service can cause corrosion and ultimately may reduce the life of your steam system. Citizens Energy Group recommends the following steps be taken: Always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as leather gloves, long sleeves and eye protection while working on or around steam systems. Shut off the steam isolation valve inside your building. Tag and lock the steam service valve in the closed position. Open all drain valves to remove condensate from the steam system. Open available vent line valves to promote system drainage. Tag all drain valves in the open position.

At Citizens Energy Group, we proudly provide safe and reliable utilities to our customers while working to improve the quality of life for all those who live, work and play in Central Indiana. With spring (or warm) weather arriving, we want to share some of our outdoor volunteer and community service initiatives with the community. Our spring advertising campaign is a continuation of our winter campaign, “Committed to Community.” We are using new footage, photography and interviews from past events to tell the story.

We want your feedback! Look for our Key Account Customer Survey coming soon! It only takes a few minutes to complete. Due to COVID, we did not send the survey in 2020, but will be contacting about 100 customers by email in May.

Natural gas is a commodity, and its price goes up and down according to supply and demand. There are several factors that influence supply and demand, such as natural gas production and weather, and these factors ultimately set the price of gas. According to the American Gas Association, the natural gas industry has consistently produced record levels of natural gas since 2018. Average gas production since 2018 has been more than 30 percent higher than average production between 2009 and 2016. For all of 2020, natural gas storage inventories have been above the five-year average. Citizens Energy Group has leveraged lower natural gas prices through long-term supply contracts that provide discounts compared to market prices.

Has your construction project stalled or been put on hold because the temperatures have dropped? Natural gas construction heat can help you keep your project on schedule and on budget. Citizens Energy Group has developed the following guidelines for temporary heating needs.

If your business uses a boiler system, it’s imperative to regularly conduct preventative maintenance checks. Routine tune-ups can extend the system’s operating life and increase its efficiency. Along with following the manufacturer’s recommendations, make sure to include these suggested actions as part of your boiler maintenance routine.

Citizens Energy Group’s White River North and T.W. Moses Water Treatment Plants are the most recent facilities to receive Directors Awards from the Partnership for Safe Water. The Partnership for Safe Water is a voluntary effort between six drinking water organizations and more than 300 water utilities. The goal of the Partnership is to provide a new measure of public health protection to millions by encouraging utilities to voluntarily improve performance beyond current regulatory requirements.