2015 Achievements
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Our certified technicians are dedicated to ensuring the safety and reliability of the municipal gas distribution system. Here are two visual highlights of some of our activities in 2015:
Careful precautions were taken to minimize impacts and delays for motorists while we replaced 950 metres of steel gas main with new 6”, 4” and 2” polyethylene gas main at Princess Street, Concession Street and Bath Road. Trenchless (no-dig) technologies was used to the greatest extent possible to avoid open cuts across busy intersections. In this photo, crews work to tap and stop the flow of gas and fuse the old steel section to the new polyethylene section.
New equipment purchased in 2015 helped improve our gas valve maintenance program, ensuring the safety of the distribution system. By bringing the right tools to the job, our new valve truck provided new capabilities to flush and clean valves.
Ensuring Gas Safety
As part of maintaining the integrity of the natural gas system, on an annual basis we inspect over 20 per cent of the infrastructure for leaks. Here's what we completed in 2015:
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Customer Satisfaction and Utility Bills
To operate efficiently, Utilities Kingston collects meter readings every other month for smaller volume customers. Bills are estimated in between.
To improve customer satisfaction, we reviewed how gas consumption is estimated. An improvement will be implemented in early 2016 and monitored to ensure gas bills are more accurately estimated.
Regulation and Legislation
Reporting System Damage
Ontario Regulation 210/01, Oil And Gas Pipeline Systems, requires that Utilities Kingston reports when there has been damage to the system that results in a gas leak. In 2015, there were a total of 24 occurrences. An increased public awareness of gas hits helped encourage a downward trend.