Extreme cold that swept through the Boerne area last week left some Esperanza residents without a flow of natural gas to keep their houses warm.
According to city officials, Boerne Utilities observed an increase in natural gas consumption from about 6-9 a.m. Feb. 19 following the bitter cold weather that moved into the Hill Country overnight. Temperatures dropped into the teens with a windchill hovering around 3 degrees.
The bitter cold, combined with the increased demand, resulted in isolated outages of natural gas supply, according to Chris Shadrock, city director of communications.
As a result, the elevated demand caused isolated supply issues for 10 customers who contacted the city’s customer care and billing office.
Shadrock said the shortage was the result of the increased demand, and not related to natural gas usage at nearby Herff Elementary School on Esperanza Boulevard, as was a rumor circulating in the area and on social media.
Boerne Utilities, Shadrock said, was in constant communication with Boerne ISD during the cold snaps to ensure schools remained heated overnight. In doing so, the buildings actually use less natural gas and enable the utility system to better handle the increased demand as residential customers woke up and started their days.
The affected homes saw usage return as temperatures rose and the cold snap ended.
Shadrock said Boerne Utilities recently added a temporary backup supply to the natural gas system as work continues on permanent supply upgrades, which will come online this year.
The system can appropriately supply customers with the services they need during peak usage, provided customers utilize their appliances as they normally would.
The backup supply has been utilized on three different days this year, he said, with no issues related to the natural gas system.
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