Citing emergency, National Fuel asks customers to turn down the heat

National Fuel is urging customers in Erie, Niagara and three other Western New York counties to turn back their thermostats by 5 degrees until further notice.

The utility said Monday that emergency procedures are necessary due to a system interruption at a transmission facility, reducing the amount of natural gas that can be delivered to homes in the short term. The transmission facility, in Potter County, Pa., allows natural gas to be transported through the company's interstate pipeline system.

The request also applies to customers in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

"We believe that this system interruption will be short-lived and that with our customers' full cooperation, we will be able to limit this call for reduced usage," Carl M. Carlotti, president of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp., said in a statement.

"We are continually monitoring the situation and will provide notice when the system is fully operational. System repairs are occurring now to bring it back to full operating potential."

Company spokeswoman Karen Merkel said the hope was that the problem could be taken care of in the next 12 to 24 hours, but there were no guarantees.

The company said the reduced level of usage should allow gas supplies to continue at a reduced level without additional interruption or inconvenience.

Customers with programmable thermostats are being asked to adjust the thermostat program to a lower setting. Customers who are elderly or ill should maintain a temperature in their homes that offers them comfort and will not impact any existing medical conditions, the company said.

National Fuel is also asking small, non-residential customers who use natural gas for purposes other than space heating to reduce their natural gas consumption by a minimum of 25 percent.