Aspen Service Disruption - Customer FAQs
Updated as of December 29, 2020
What caused this outage?
On Dec. 27, an incident involving vandalism occurred, causing damage to our natural gas system in Aspen. To safely facilitate necessary repairs, our technicians needed to shut off approximately 3,500 gas meters and test the system.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing by local law enforcement.
How many customers are impacted in the Aspen area?
Approximately 3,500 residential and commercial customers are impacted in the Aspen area, primarily in the downtown area and north of town.
Restoration
How will Black Hills Energy restore gas service?
The process of bringing customers back on to the system requires several steps. We must first make sure all gas meters are off, then purge the system so it’s ready for the reintroduction of the natural gas supply. These steps were completed at approximately 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Our technicians then began going door-to-door to relight each customer’s gas appliances.
If your appliance is unsafe to relight, our technicians will have to red tag it until it can be repaired. The relight teams will not be able to repair appliances during today’s relighting effort, but they will schedule a repair team to return after most of the community is back online. At that time, they will be able to evaluate and work with homeowners to have the appliances repaired or replaced as soon as possible, and then relight and restore service.
Is Black Hills Energy prioritizing the restoration of some customers over others?
When we were able to begin restoration efforts at approximately 3 a.m. on Tuesday, we prioritized restoring service to the most vulnerable customers, as identified by Pitkin County Human Services. Once those customers were restored At 7 a.m., our technicians began restoring service in a grid pattern in order to relight as many customers as quickly as possible. Customers who were not home during the first visit from the technician would’ve received a door tag with instructions to call us to schedule a return visit.
When will gas service be restored to all customers in the Aspen area?
We began working to relight vulnerable customers very early in the morning on Tuesday, Dec. 29, after the purging was complete. Our technicians will continue going door-to-door to restore service to all customers, but someone over 18 years of age must be home to allow our technicians inside.
If technicians are not able to connect with a customer to relight their appliances, a door tag will be left with instructions to call us at 888-890-5554 to set up a time for service to be restored.
It will take time to restore the customers we are not able to connect with on Tuesday, and may take several days before all houses, including those that are currently unoccupied, are restored.
What should impacted customers who are currently away from Aspen do to have their service restored?
For unoccupied properties, Black Hills Energy will schedule appointments to turn gas service back on and relight appliances for Thursday, Dec. 31, and into the first week of January, after service has been restored to occupied residences and businesses.
To set up a time for a technician to visit your unoccupied home, please contact us after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 888-890-5554. If you will be away during the time of the appointment, you will need to coordinate with someone locally who has the ability and authority to allow our technicians to enter the premises and relight your appliances. We are advising property owners and managers of unoccupied residences and commercial properties to take immediate action to guard against frozen pipes by doing some or all of the following:
- Ask a neighbor or friend to access the home and turn on cold water faucets to drip and keep pipes from freezing.
- Consider turning water off to the residence and flush all pipes to prevent freezing until the owner returns.
- If an absentee property owner does not have anyone to contact, please call a local professional plumber to assist with proper winterization.
In dwellings that are not currently occupied, is there any harm in not immediately restoring natural gas service?
No, unoccupied units are safe to not have gas service restored immediately, as the gas meter valve has been turned off. We are advising property owners and managers of unoccupied residences and commercial properties to take immediate action to guard against frozen pipes by doing some or all of the following:
- Ask a neighbor or friend to access the home and turn on cold water faucets to drip and keep pipes from freezing.
- Consider turning water off to the residence and flush all pipes to prevent freezing until the owner returns.
- If an absentee property owner does not have anyone to contact a local professional plumber to assist with proper winterization.
What is the difference between a door tag and a red tag?
If our technicians visit a residence, but the customer is not home, they’ll leave a door tag with information for the customer to call us at 888-890-5554 to set up a time for restoration. A red tag is utilized if an appliance is emitting carbon monoxide and poses a safety hazard. In that instance, the technician is required to red-tag the appliance, taking it out of commission until it can be repaired or replaced.
Relighting procedures
Was it expected to smell gas during the purging process?
Yes. During the purging of the system, customers may have smelled a faint odor of gas. This is normal and expected, and the gas will safely dissipate into the air. The smell is like that of a rotten egg. If you smell the odor of natural gas and it does not quickly dissipate, exit the building you are in quickly and call 911 from a safe distance.
When was the initial purging of the system completed?
The first steps of the restoration process, including the shutting off of all gas meters and the purging of the system, was successfully and safely completed in the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 29.
How can customers help make the process easier for Black Hills Energy?
Black Hills Energy customers can assist in expediting the relighting efforts by clearing snow from and providing access to gas meters and restraining pets who may be on the premises. Additionally, it’s required that someone over 18 years of age be present during the relighting process.
Will customers be notified when Black Hills Energy techs are in their neighborhood?
In order to restore service to our customers as quickly and safely as possible, our technicians will go door-to-door to all customer premises to restore service. If they do not connect with the customer, they will leave a door tag with information for customers to call us at 888-890-5554 to set up a time for restoration. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide a timeframe for when technicians will be in a certain area. We have over 170 technicians out in the field going through the affected area, street by street, and are not able to predict when a particular area will be addressed.
What will technicians do during the relight process?
When a technician arrives to restore service, they will turn on the meter and then perform a variety of safety checks on gas appliances indoors, measuring for gas and carbon monoxide to identify any safety issues. If an appliance is emitting carbon monoxide and poses a safety hazard, the technician is required to red-tag the appliance, taking it out of commission until it can be repaired or replaced.
The relight teams will not be able to repair appliance during today’s relighting effort, but will schedule a repair team to return after most of the community is back online, to evaluate and work with homeowners to get appliances repaired or replaced as soon as possible, and then relight and restore service.
Why shouldn’t a customer attempt to relight their own appliances?
Our technicians have specialized equipment that can detect gas and identify safety concerns within the infrastructure and appliances, which is important to the overall safety of our customers and our system. These safety checks are important steps to safely restore natural gas service.
If we have electric ignition, is it necessary for Black Hills Energy technicians to manually relight the pilot?
No, however, we will still need to perform a safety check of the appliances.
Will Black Hills Energy technicians be relighting boilers as well as appliances?
Yes, our technicians will be relighting all gas pilot lights.
What should customers do if they are not home for the relight process?
If a customer is not home when the Black Hills Energy technicians arrive to relight their service, a door tag will be left with instructions to call us at 888-890-5554 to schedule a relight. Customers should not attempt to relight their appliances on their own.
For customers who may be out of the area and whose homes or commercial buildings are not open at this time, please call us to schedule a date and time to restore service.
COVID-19
Is COVID-19 a concern during the restoration process?
We have safety protocols in place to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. Our technicians will be prepared to safely restore service by wearing appropriate PPE and asking COVID-19 screening questions before entering homes and businesses. We also ask that customers practice social distancing and wear masks for the safety of all.
More information
Will Black Hills Energy repair any appliances?
Depending on the specific situation with the appliance, our technicians will discuss the options and next steps directly with the customer.
Who should customers contact if there are other issues?
Customers can call us at 888-890-5554 if they experience any natural gas service issues or for any non-emergency questions. Customers are asked not to call 911 for non-emergency questions regarding when service will be restored.
Where can additional information and regular updates be found?
For the most current information, please refer to Black Hills Energy's Facebook and Twitter pages and the website at www.blackhillsenergy.com/aspen.
Are space heaters available for impacted customers?
Space heaters have been made available by Black Hills Energy to impacted customers. The local fire and police department began distributing space heaters on Monday, Dec. 28, and heaters continue to be available at the Aspen Fire Department, located at 420 E. Hopkins Ave.
Does Black Hills Energy have additional resources to help restore service?
We’re very thankful to our partners and neighboring utilities for stepping in to assist in the restoration efforts surrounding this incident. Currently there are more than 160 technicians from Black Hills Energy, Xcel Energy, Sitewise, Q3 and Mears who are working diligently in Aspen and throughout the surrounding area to restore service to all customers as quickly and safely as possible. Your patience is appreciated as the crews visit each individual residence and business.
Do there continue to be low pressure issues in Aspen?
We’ve confirmed that there was a minor, isolated pressure issue in the Red Mountain area. Several factors coincided to create the temporary issue, including very cold temperatures and the simultaneous mass operation of heating appliances when we restored service to that area. The low pressure issue was resolved quickly and we don't anticipate any continuing issues going forward.