BUFFALO, NY - National Fuel has lifted their request for residents to turn their heat down five degrees, according to Spokesperson Karen Merkel.
After a gas delivery issue at a facility in Pennsylvania, National Fuel requested customers in Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties dial back the heat by five degrees on Monday afternoon at 1 P.M.
As of 8 P.M. Monday evening, Merkel announced the request had been lifted and all customers can turn their heat back up. That includes larger scale industrial customers who had started cutting back on usage earlier in the day on Monday.
Merkel says repair crews have not yet determined the exact cause, but a transmission facility in Potter County, Pennsylvania which helps to push gas through an interstate pipeline went into shutdown early Monday morning. She also does not know if it is related to the extreme, harsh weather and any greater demand for gas heat.
Merkel says there is plenty of gas supply available and this was strictly a transmission issue. She says this is the first time in 40 years that National Fuel has actually requested customers to conserve by turning down the heat in homes. She also says no one actually lost any natural gas service.
Other areas like Alberta, Canada have been experiencing cuts in natural gas service but they have other supply and pipeline issues, according to Merkel.