About Tuscumbia Gas Department

Tuscumbia Gas Department serves over 3000 firm residential and commercial natural gas customers. Please call 811 to have natural gas lines located before doing any excavation work around your home or business. Tuscumbia obtains natural gas at its city gate, which is located on Woodmont Drive, from Sequent Energy (formerly Alabama Tennessee Gas Company). Sequent Energy, in turn receives natural gas from Texas Eastern, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, and Columbia Gulf. Tuscumbia has firm gas contracts with Tennessee Gas Pipeline, Sequent Energy, and with several gas storage fields, among which is in Bear Creek, Louisiana. The Gas Department serves customers mainly within the corporate limits, but supplies some gas to customers in Colbert County.

Natural Gas Rates | Natural Gas Survey | Natural Gas Safety | Carbon Monoxide | Read Your Gas Meter




Natural Gas Safety

The distinctive odor of natural gas is a safety feature to alert you and your family to even the smallest amount that might escape. Because natural gas has no natural scent, a harmless chemical is added to create this distinctive odor. It may smell bad, but that's good. Everyone should be able to recognize this built-in safety signal. If you smell escaping natural gas:

If you smell escaping natural gas:

  • Investigate - follow your nose to the source. It may be an extinguished pilot light or a partially opened burner valve or something else that is easily and safely corrected.
  • If you cannot locate the source - if you cannot detect the source of the odor or if the odor persists, call Tuscumbia Utilities at (256) 383-0321 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. During normal business hours you will be connected to one of our Customer Service Representatives. After hours, weekends and holidays you can choose to connect to our after hours dispatch or leave a voicemail.
  • If the odor rises intensely -If you are indoors leave the premises right away. Don't light a match or switch ANYTHING on or off.
  • Do NOT open doors or windows to allow fresh air into your house unless it has been determined that gas concentrations are at a safe level.
  • Go to the nearest telephone outside the building and call (256) 383-0321 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. During normal business hours you will be connected to one of our Customer Service Representatives. After hours, weekends and holidays you can choose to connect to our after hours dispatch or leave a voicemail. We will immediately dispatch a serviceman.



Carbon Monoxide (CO)
 

Carbon Monoxide is a toxic and odorless gas, which is produced when any fuel, such as charcoal, gasoline, or wood is burned. If natural gas equipment is not maintained, adjusted, and operated properly, it could produce carbon monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is dangerous because it interferes with the body's ability to process oxygen. If a large amount of CO is absorbed by red blood cells from the lungs, it will replace oxygen in the bloodstream.


Symptoms of CO poisoning are:

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Flu-like symptoms

• Weakness

• Nausea and vomiting

• Partial loss of muscle control

• Sleepiness


The most common sources of CO accumulation in the home include:

• Blocked chimney opening

• Improperly operating fuel burning appliances

• Disconnected, corroded, or blocked appliance vent pipes

• Cracked furnace heat exchangers

• Operating vehicles in attached garages

 

 

Read Your Gas Meter

The Gas Department encourages all of our customers to read their gas meters regularly. It is important to read, understand, and keep track of your natural gas energy use because your gas bill is based on the total number of units of gas (cubic feet) you use on a monthly basis.

Your gas meter is read monthly, and your consumption is determined by subtracting the previous month's meter reading from the current month's reading. Gas meters are highly accurate and dependable tools for natural gas consumption evaluation.

The meter operates like the odometer in your car, registering ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands of cubic feet. Some meters have four dials, others have five. Some meters have a odometer readout, others have dials. You can read your own gas meter by following these steps.

If you have a meter that looks like this (odometer), simply write down the numbers.

The correct reading for the example is 2199 ccf.


If your meter looks like this perform the following steps:

The correct reading for the example is 8542 ccf.

Standing directly in front of the meter, record the position of the hand starting with the left. If the hand is between two numbers, always record the lower number. When the hand is between 9 and 0, 0 is considered to be a ten. Therefore, 9 would be the lower number. When the hand is, or appears to be, directly on a number, check the dials to the right. If the hand on the dial to the right is between 9 and 0, record the lowest number, otherwise use exact number.

Try reading your gas meter every day for a while. Subtract the previous day's reading from the current reading to get an idea of how many cubic feet you are using.