MLGW Prepares For Possible Wintry Weather

With the strong possibility of winter weather moving into the Memphis and Shelby County area starting on Friday, MLGW is taking precautions to ensure that utility service will remain as reliable as possible. In the event of outages, crews are on hand to respond as quickly and safely as possible.

MLGW is continually staying in contact with the National Weather Service and closely monitoring the weather situation.

"MLGW employees have been monitoring this winter storm situation and we have all of our resources in place should the winter weather hit Memphis and Shelby County. If indeed a significant storm blankets our city, we are ready to respond," said MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins Jr.


Customers are reminded to call 544-6500 to report an electric outage. The automated outage reporting system will receive the report and let customers know of a possible restoration time, if one is available. Also, customers are encouraged to download MLGW’s App which is available in the Google Play and Apple Itunes market. MLGW’s App allows customers access to MLGW’s outage map and outage updates.

Customers are reminded to call the following numbers:

To Report an Outage: 544-6500
To Report an Emergency (such as downed lines or gas leaks): 528-4465
All Other Inquiries: 544-MLGW (6549)
MLGW Social Media:

MLGW.com
twitter.com/MLGW
facebook.com/MLGW1
mlgw.blogspot.com
Free MLGW Apps: Google Play (play.google.com) and Apple Store (www.apple.com)


Winter Safety Information:

Water Pipes:
Water pipes can burst anytime temperatures are below freezing. A burst water pipe or water heater is considered to be an emergency situation and could pose a danger of flooding the building.
• Customers should open cabinet doors and turn water to a slow drip to prevent pipes from freezing.

• Customers can also wrap pipes either in pipe insulation (available at hardware stores) or with towels, clothes, etc... to prevent pipes from freezing.

• If your pipes freeze, turn off the main valve inside your house (if possible).


Space Heaters and Gas Appliances:
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home, make sure that all natural gas appliances, such as your water heater, furnace and space heaters, are vented outside. Keep chimneys and flues clear of all debris, and use gas space heaters only according to manufacturers' instructions. We also recommend that you have your gas appliances inspected annually by a licensed professional.

Do not use space heaters overnight and when no one is home. Position space heaters so they are not positioned near flammable objects.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, seek medical assistance immediately and move the victim, if possible, to a well-ventilated area, then call our 24-hour emergency number, 528-4465.

For additional safety and energy-saving tips, visit mlgw.com

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the perfect time to count our blessings. For those who take Friday as an opportunity to start holiday shopping, please consider the gift of comfort.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water's "Gift of Comfort" helps those in need pay their utility bill.

The program provides a means for individuals in the community to make a payment towards a customer's utility bill as a gift.

Follow these simple steps to give a "Gift of Comfort":

• Print out and complete the "Gift of Comfort" PDF file below.
   
• Attach a check or money order made payable to "MLGW Gift of Comfort" in the amount you wish to give.
   
• Mail the form and check to the following address:
       Memphis Light, Gas and Water
       P.O. Box 388
       Memphis, TN 38145
   

Your gift will appear in the form of a credit on the recipient's MLGW bill.

Click here to download the Gift of Comfort form.

Holiday Bill Break & Cold Weather Policy

To aid customers during the coldest period of the year, MLGW's Holiday Bill Break begins on Dec. 15.

The Holiday Bill Break ensures that no residential customers are cut off from December 15 to January 14 if they have an unpaid balance of $399.99 or less (except in cases of diversion, safety hazards or default on special payment plans).

MLGW’s Winter Moratorium for Seniors and cold weather moratorium will continue to be in effect as well.

It is the policy of MLGW to not disconnect any residential accounts for non-payment whenever the following conditions exist: 

(a) The forecast wind chill factor will be 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below (freezing) for a period of 24 hours or more. 

(b) The forecast heat index will be 100 degrees Fahrenheit or above at any time during a 24-hour period. 

(c) The forecast heat index will be 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above at any time in a 24-hour period for customers 60 years of ago or older, physically challenged, or customers certified as life-support dependent. 

For more information, go to www.mlgw.com or call 544-6549.

MLGW Board Approves New Supplier Diversity Policies

MLGW seeks to boost growth of local companies.

The Board of Commissioners of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division approved Thursday enhancements to the utility’s Supplier Diversity policy that outline industry-specific goals as well as boost economic development for minority-owned (MBE), women-owned (WBE) and local small businesses (LSB). The changes are effective January 1, 2014.

Based on the recommendations of a recent Disparity Study, MLGW has narrowly tailored its relevant market area to the Memphis metropolitan statistical area and, instead of broad overall goals, it has established specific industry goals within its five primary spending areas: construction, architecture/engineering, professional services, other services and goods/supplies.

“We want our suppliers to be as diverse as our customers,” said Jerry R. Collins Jr., MLGW’s president and CEO. “This gives us a truer picture of spending and the performance in various industries.”

Annually, MLGW spends about $100 million for contracted services, good and supplies; of that, $18 to $20 million is spent through MLGW’s Supplier Diversity program.

Though still bound by competitive bidding laws and applicable city ordinances and policies, MLGW also plans to create a sheltered marketplace much like the City of Memphis, the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority and MATA currently have in place. The sheltered marketplace will facilitate the growth and expansion of certified local small businesses via a race-gender neutral procurement process.

The new Sheltered Market Program will require all purchases and contracts under $100,000 to automatically be procured from the Sheltered Market if at least three certified local firms are available. An analysis of spending during the Disparity Study period revealed approximately 20 percent or $109 million of MLGW's purchase orders and contracts were under $100,000.

“This creates a pool of local businesses” that overtime will grow large enough to graduate out of the program, Collins said. “We hope to grow local companies.”

Join the Plus-1 Sabbath this Weekend!

Faith communities in Memphis and Shelby County are learning the powerful possibilities of joining together to help our neighbors. In this spirit, we invite you and your congregation to participate in an unprecedented celebration of the power of working together through MIFA’s Plus-1 Sabbath.

Plus-1 allows customers to help families in crisis keep their utilities on by adding $1 or more to their monthly utility bills. MLGW retains none of these funds, all of which are used by MIFA to assist Plus-1 recipients. Currently more than 11,000 customers support Plus-1, which helped more than 1,200 families in 2012. But the need is enormous, and with your help we could do so much more.

Nov. 22-24, 2013, we are asking Memphis and Shelby County faith communities to promote Plus-1 by joining together to help more families in need. If every MLGW customer gave $1 a month to Plus-1, we could help more than 20,000 families. Emergencies can happen to any family, and Plus-1 can help the initial job loss, serious illness or other disasters from proliferating into more.

Here’s what we are asking congregations to do:

• Promote the Plus-1 Sabbath in your print or electronic communications well in advance of the date.

• In your services during Nov. 22-24, ask members of your congregation for their support.

• Make Mission or Outreach volunteers available at a Plus-1 station to pass out sign-up cards and answer questions. MIFA and MLGW will supply sign-up cards and marketing material.

To help with the Plus-1 Sabbath, please sign up online at www.mifa.org/plus-1sabbath or contact Linda Marks at MIFA at (901) 527-0208, ext. 218 or lmarks@mifa.org.

Women in Non-Traditional Jobs Awareness Fair this Wednesday

Our second annual Women in Non-Traditional Jobs Awareness Fair will be held Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the MLGW Joyce M. Blackmon Training Center, 4949 Raleigh-LaGrange Rd.

MLGW female employees from different areas of the company will be present to share with attendees the skills used on their job and to discuss careers in the utility industry that may seem non-traditional for women.

Students from MLGW’s adopted school, Carver High School, will attend the career fair and all interested members of the community are invited to discover the opportunities for women in non-traditional jobs. Different Mid-South organizations will also be present to give attendees information on their services for women.

MLGW Wins Neighbor of the Year Award

This morning at the 27th Annual Corporate Neighbor Awards hosted by Volunteer Mid-South, MLGW was honored with the Neighbor of the Year Award, in the large company category. Alonzo Weaver, Vice President Engineering and Operations, accepted the award on behalf of MLGW. Other guests at the MLGW table were individuals who had coordinated various MLGW volunteer activities throughout the year.