Gas Co. Official Touts Efficiency and Reliability of Fuel at Community Meeting

Second part in a series.

One doesn’t hear much anymore the commercial where the fuel oil company spokesperson touts the relatively cheap price of fuel oil versus natural gas when used to heat one’s home and hot water.

There’s a good reason for that, said John A. Dobos, Jr., to an audience of about 90 people Tuesday night at Baldwin Senior Center.

That ad is seldom heard anymore because the relative price of natural gas is about half that of fuel oil at the current price levels, he said, using $4.03 as the benchmark price for a gallon of fuel oil.

Dobos is a lifelong Stratford resident, who grew up in Lordship and graduated from Stratford High. He is the Director of Marketing and Public Affairs for the Southern CT Gas Co. (SCG) where he has worked for the past 29 years. Dobos also is a member of the Stratford Economic Development Commission in addition to being a member of John Harkins' transition committee after he was elected mayor in 2009.

Dobos made his remarks at a “community meeting” where information on energy supply, services, emergency management, billing and other topics were discussed by officials from UIL Holdings Corp. (UIL), parent company of United Illuminating Co. (UI) and the Southern CT Gas Co. (SCG).

Dobos noted that right now in the United States about 65 million residences use natural gas for heating, along with five million businesses. In addition, there are 1,800 power plants including several across the river in Milford that utilize natural gas to generate electricity.

Supply is plentiful, he added, with 98% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S. coming from North America, making it an excellent fuel from an “energy security” point of view.

In addition to its relatively low cost, Dobos noted that natural gas is “an environmentally friendly fuel.

“It’s the cleanest fossil fuel when you’re talking about greenhouse gases,” he said, emitting “much less than coal or oil.”

Another positive is reliability of supply, he said. “We all remember the winter we just experienced, and hearing of folks waiting for an oil truck and their street wasn’t plowed.

“But during those times, people with natural gas had access to fuel 24 hours a day,” seven days a week without interruption. In addition, repair and service calls are available 24/7, as well as affordable service contracts.

Dobos also cited the fact that “technology has increased tremendously over past few decades … People use 40 percent less gas than they did 40 years ago due to efficiency gains,” including boilers and furnaces that are up to 96% efficient” utilizing condensate technologies.

He urged residents who want to learn more about converting to natural gas to call the company or visit the link to their web page, below. Often times, he said, the gas company will bring the line into your house at no charge for those who are converting their heat and hot water.

Click Here to go to the gas company’s web site. 

Click Here to learn more about converting to natural gas.

Click Here to learn more about home energy audits, residential weatherization and related state energy conservation and assistance programs.

On Monday in Stratford Patch, electric service interruption and restoration procedures as well as information on the benefits and procedure to switch to a lower cost electric supplier.