Your Natural Gas

Your Natural Gas

• How is LNG stored?

  LNG is stored at more than 100 U.S. facilities. Most of the existing facilities in the U.S. were constructed between 1965 and 1975.

  LNG is stored at very low (near atmospheric) pressure in double-walled, insulated tanks. The inner tank contains the LNG, while the outer tank contains the insulation and prevents any natural gas vapor from escaping.

  All new LNG facilities are required to have a dike or impounding wall capable of containing 110-percent of the maximum LNG storage capacity. In the unlikely event of a spill, this feature will prevent LNG from flowing off site.  Storage facilities use advanced monitoring systems to immediately detect any liquid or natural gas leaks or fires at the plant.

• What is the charge to light pilots?

  The cost is $128 (2025). For the most current price, check the Billing Price Book on the Rates and Fees page.

• What is the Full Fuel Cycle?

  Many people feel energy efficiency begins and ends in their homes. In reality, energy efficiency begins prior to reaching your home. The Full Fuel Cycle represents the amount of energy expended to bring a fossil fuel, such as coal from the earth to your home. Using natural gas in your home is three times more efficient than using electricity.

• What is natural gas and its hazards?

  What to do if you smell natural gas

  1. Get everyone out of the building or area. From a safe location, call us at 402.554.7777 or 911 from a phone not located in the building. There is no charge to check gas leaks!
  2. If you smell an odor or know there is a damaged gas line, do not use any matches, candles, lighters, flashlights, motors or appliances. Don’t even use the light switch, telephone or cellular phone.
  3. If you detect a faint odor of natural gas, check the pilot lights. If the pilot light or burner flame is out, shut off the gas supply to the appliance. Allow ample time for any gas accumulation to escape before relighting.

  Natural gas is an economical, safe, colorless and odorless fuel. For easy detection, we add a chemical to give gas a distinctive odor like skunk, rotten eggs or sulfur. Natural gas is not poisonous, however it can displace oxygen in a room. Since it is lighter than air, natural gas dissipates quicker than propane or gasoline. While natural gas has a better safety record than any other major form of energy, its use requires caution.

  Potential hazards include fire, explosion or suffocation, however natural gas alone will not burn or explode. It needs the right amount of air and an ignition source. More than half of the reported natural gas accidents are caused by people digging before utility lines are marked. Call 811 two business days before digging.

• Why does natural gas smell like rotten eggs?

  Natural gas is an efficient, safe, colorless and odorless gas. For easy detection, we add a chemical called mercaptan to give gas a distinctive odor. Most people describe the smell like a skunk, rotten eggs or sulfur odor.

  It smells bad for a good reason – in case of a gas leak! If you smell natural gas, leave the house. Do not use a light switch, telephone or cell phone. Once you are safely out of the house call us at 402.554.7777 or 911. Our gas emergency line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We immediately dispatch a service technician to your house to investigate the smell. When we arrive an adult must be present to meet us.

  Besides utility companies need for mercaptan, there are other trades that use it. Industries use it for jet fuel, pharmaceuticals and livestock feed additives. It is used in many chemical plants. Mercaptan is less corrosive and less toxic than similar sulfur compounds found naturally in rotten eggs, onions, garlic, skunks, and, of course, bad breath. In other words, forms of mercaptan can be found in things that smell.

• Who owns what? [gas]

  M.U.D.

  A service line runs from the main in the street to the meter. We are responsible for the maintenance, repair and location of the main, service line, regulator and meter.

  

  Property Owner

  The property owner owns and maintains the fuel lines on the “house side” or downstream of the meter, including buried fuel lines. The fuel line on the “house side” begins after the meter.

  If the underground fuel line is not maintained, it may be subject to potential hazards of corrosion (rust) and leaks.

  • Inspect the buried fuel line periodically for leaks.
  • If the buried fuel line is metal, inspect it periodically for corrosion.
  • Repair any unsafe condition.

  Call a qualified plumber or heating contractor to provide location, inspection and repair services for buried lines. The service line will be located at no charge when you contact Nebraska 811 by calling 811 or 800.331.5666. You can also submit via the website. When excavating near a buried fuel line, locate the line in advance and excavate by hand. Nebraska 811 does not locate buried fuel lines after the meter.

• What is the gas odor?

  Natural gas in its native state is colorless and odorless. Mercaptan is the additive that is added to natural gas to make it easier to detect in case of a leak. The most important thing to know about mercaptan is that it stinks. Some people compare it to the smell of a skunk, rotten eggs or sulfur.

  In a concentrated form, its smell is almost unbearable. And it takes only a few parts per million of mercaptan to give natural gas a smell. That is precisely why we add it to natural gas. If we did not add mercaptan, it would be difficult for you to know that unlit natural gas was coming from your stove after you left the valve turned on. And leaks from furnaces and hot water heaters would be nearly impossible to detect without expensive equipment. So mercaptan’s smell is a very valuable safety feature.

  Mercaptans contain sulfur. That’s what makes them smell. The kind we use blends well with natural gas and, in a gaseous state, has much the same properties as natural gas, so it will also rise and dissipate with natural gas.

  There are other uses for mercaptans in industry, including jet fuel, pharmaceuticals and livestock feed additives. They are used in many chemical plants. Mercaptans are less corrosive and less toxic than similar sulfur compounds found naturally in rotten eggs, onions, garlic, skunks, and, of course, bad breath. In other word, forms of mercaptan can be found in things that smell.

  Decreased Sense of Smell

  If you have a decreased sense of smell, you may want to buy a “natural gas sensor.” Most models are available for less than $60. They are easy to install and they monitor carbon monoxide, methane (natural gas) and propane. The unit should have the UL (Underwriters Laboratory) seal of approval.