If you're an RG&E or NYSEG customer, your next gas bill might have something else included. The companies are sending out February bills with a "scratch and sniff" bill insert that will help customers recognize what natural gas smells like. Spokesperson Clay Ellis says they've put an odor that smells like rotton eggs in natural gas so customers can detect leaks.
The bill insert explains that you can detect a natural gas leak by using sight, sound, and smell. Along with the rotton egg smell, there may be a white cloud, mist, fog, and you may hear a hissing sound.
Ellis says they want to make sure as many people get this message as possible, so they're breaking through the language barrier.
No matter what language customers speak, if they get a whiff of sulfur or rotton-eggs in the air, hear a hissing sound, or see bubbles in standing water, they should call their utility.
NYSEG's natural gas emergency number is 1 800 572 1121
RG&E's natural gas emergency number is 1 800 743 1702.
