Connecting with You and Your Community

Alberta Lung Association

ATCO Gas is pleased to be a provincial partner in the Alberta Lung Association's Lungs for Life Lottery. This year's lottery features more than $300,000 in prizes, including a grand prize of a 2003 Jaguar S-Type 3.0. The Alberta Lung Association is Alberta's oldest health charity. They fund vital respiratory research and deliver lung health programs to Albertans suffering from lung disease. For more information on the Lungs for Life Lottery, or to order your tickets, call the Alberta Lung Association toll-free at 1-866-412-2444. Phone lines are open seven days-a-week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Count on Accurate Bills

At ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric we take customer service seriously. We go to great lengths to make your bills timely and accurate.

ATCO employees have a long history of service and our companies have taken strong action to maintain the excellence our customers count on. Both ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric are industry leaders in the safe reliable delivery of electricity and natural gas to more than one million Alberta customers.

ATCO has been meticulous, responsive, and innovative in developing and implementing the customer service infrastructure required to produce accurate monthly bills and timely customer response. Our advanced technology was developed over a ten-year period with the objective of creating an accurate billing system that could meet the robust demands of a changing, growing market.

Last year, we delivered more than 12.6 million bills. We also handled more than 1.7 million customer calls, with an answer time of less than 40 seconds to reach the expertise of a live and friendly voice.

This year, our call centre and billing company, ATCO I-Tek, was the only company to initially successfully pass an industry test issued to complete the transfer of retail customers between suppliers on a real-time basis.

ATCO Gas earlier this year hired and trained more than 250 people to implement two initiatives - monthly meter reading for all customers and our program to move more than 22,000 meters from inside homes to outdoors to increase safety and gain immediate access to accurate information.

ATCO will continue to seek even more ways to support the transition now underway within the province so that Albertans can derive the full benefits of customer choice in the retail energy business.

At ATCO Gas, we know your time is important. When you call, our friendly experts will give you prompt help. If you have questions about your bill or anything to do with your natural
gas service, we'll give you the answers as soon as possible.

At ATCO Gas, we believe providing you with natural gas service is just the start
of service excellence. We have been providing quality customer service for more than 90 years. You can count on us. Call toll-free 310-5678.
 

Save Money and Make Your Home More Comfortable

If your home is drafty, musty-smelling, cursed with poor-performing windows or rigged with an energy-guzzling heating system, it's probably time to invest in some energy efficient home improvements that will help you save money and improve the comfort of your home.

A great way to start your renovation project is with a complete energy evaluation. EnerGuide for Houses* (EGH), a home energy efficiency service developed by Natural Resources Canada, can help you make informed decisions before the work begins. An EGH evaluation takes about two hours to complete and includes an analysis and detailed written report covering:

• air leakage
• insulation
• furnace and hot water tank
• ventilation systems
• lighting, appliances and equipment

Valued at more than $300
You pay only $100

The EGH evaluation, developed by Natural Resources Canada, is a detailed home energy evaluation carried out by a certified energy efficiency expert. Valued at over $300, it is partially funded by Natural Resources Canada and available to all Albertans for the reasonable price of $150. Until October 3, 2003, ATCO Gas customers can save an additional $50, bringing the price down to $100.

*EnerGuide, EnerGuide for Houses and the EnerGuide for Houses graphic identifiers are official trademarks of Natural Resources Canada. Used with permission.

ATCO Delivers... Safe Advice

Before you pick up the shovel, make the right call.

Do you know where your gas lines are? As you plan for outdoor projects this summer, your safety depends on knowing the location of your underground gas lines.

The biggest myth about underground gas lines is that they are located deep below the ground surface. This is not necessarily true. Gas lines are initially installed about one metre deep, but as
structures are built and topsoil is moved, lines can be much closer to the surface.

Last year, ATCO Gas responded to more than 900 hit line calls. Many of these incidents are on private property where homeowners were planting trees, digging fence post holes, anchoring supports for a deck or driving stakes into the ground for landscaping or anchoring swing sets.

Such incidents are preventable. Know where your gas lines are before you begin any digging. Have your underground utility lines located by contacting Alberta One-Call. This line location service is provided at no charge and is funded by ATCO Gas and other underground facility owners. Be sure
to allow at least two working days for this service.

If you hit a natural gas line:

• Contact ATCO Gas immediately and call 911.
• Clear all people from the vicinity of the leak.
• Shut off all equipment and vehicles.
• Remove other sources of ignition.
• Extinguish all cigarettes and open flames.
• Do not attempt to repair the leak or bend over the line to stop escaping gas.

• Allow gas to vent to the atmosphere.

You can cook this quick and tasty chicken recipe in the oven or on the barbecue. The recipe is from our most recent ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen cookbook, Everyday Delicious.

Apricot Glazed Chicken

To prepare sauce, combine all ingredients except chicken. Broil chicken, basting occasionally with sauce, for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Alternatively, chicken may be grilled over medium heat on a natural gas barbecue. Serves 4.

Call the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen home economists, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you live in the Edmonton area, call 420-1010. If you live in Lloydminster, call toll-free 1-306-825-5010. From other locations in Alberta, call toll-free 1-877-420-9090. To purchase cookbooks, call the order desk toll-free 1-800-840-3393.

ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen's New Cookbook Delivers Everyday Delicious Recipes

Looking for mealtime recipes that are quick and easy to prepare?

That is what you will find in the new ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen cookbook, Everyday Delicious. The 128 page book, with a built-in recipe stand, is filled with practical, tested recipes and valuable kitchen information. Every recipe in this coil-bound collection has been developed, tested and written by the professional home economists of the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen.

This new edition is a great value at $5.00 including GST. Everyday Delicious can be purchased at
ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric offices throughout Alberta or by calling the order desk toll-free at
1-800-840-3393. Postage and handling charges apply.
 

ATCO Gas is part of the ATCO Group of companies.

Visit us:  www.atcogas.com

Email us: energyline@atcogas.com

Write us:  EnergyLine, c/o ATCO Gas

18th Floor, 10035 - 105 Street

Edmonton, AB T5J 2V6