NYSEG Shares Natural Gas Safety Tips
Customers urged to get up, get out, and get away if natural gas leak is suspected
NYSEG continues to prioritize customer and community safety with enhanced efficiency in gas emergency response
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — March 26, 2025 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) today shared important gas safety tips for customers who suspect a gas leak in their home or business. If you suspect a natural gas leak, get up, get out, and get away! Then call NYSEG immediately at 800.572.1121 or 911 from a safe location.
“NYSEG is committed to protecting customers and protecting the community,” said Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “There are more than 250,000 natural gas customers across NYSEG’s service area. Gas emergencies have no respect to schedules, and we’re committed to responding any time a customer needs us. Our talented gas fitters are specially trained to help keep homes and businesses safe, around the clock. This important work is not possible without the support of our dedicated union workforce.”
A natural gas leak is usually recognized by smell, sight, or sound. Natural gas is colorless and odorless, though a distinctive rotten egg smell is added for individuals to recognize a gas leak quickly. A white cloud, mist, fog, bubbles in standing water, or blowing dust is a visual sign that a natural gas leak has occurred. Customers may also notice vegetation appearing to be dead or dying for no apparent reason. A gas leak may also be present if you hear an unusual noise like roaring, hissing, or whistling.
In collaboration with IBEW Local 10, NYSEG has taken significant steps to enhance emergency response efficiency. These steps allow NYSEG to build on its current rapid response and reinforces NYSEG’s commitment to respond to gas leak calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When a call about a gas leak arrives, a NYSEG gas fitter will visit the location to investigate the cause and take steps to immediately make the situation safe if a danger is present.
NYSEG has approximately 200 highly-trained gas fitters across 13 divisions in New York.
Gas safety inspections are conducted regularly across the Company’s more than 8,000 miles of natural gas pipelines. These inspections assess the condition of the service line and are completed quickly. Inspectors use gas detection equipment to detect a leak and perform visual inspection for corrosion on all exposed piping up to the natural gas meter inside a home or business. These inspections are required by federal code and the New York State Public Service Commission.
For more information about NYSEG’s gas response, please click here.
Media Contact:
Michael Baggerman