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Safety & Conservation

Committed to Safety & Energy Conservation

At Dalton Utilities, we’re not only in the business of powering our community with electricity, natural gas, water, and wastewater management. We are also in the business of keeping our customers informed when it comes to safety and energy conservation.

With over 100 years of experience as a utility company, we understand the unique ecosystem of Dalton, GA, and the surrounding region. We continue to play a prominent role in protecting our environment, and we are committed to helping all of us do our part together.

Are you interested in setting up an account with Dalton Utilities? Are you located in Whitfield, Catoosa, Floyd, Gordon, or Murray County? Get in touch with us today!

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Safety & Energy Conservation Information

Whether you’re looking to save money on energy bills, reduce your carbon footprint, or make your home more energy-efficient, Dalton Utilities has a solution for you!

If you have any questions, general inquiries, or are interested in scheduling service, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Wastewater Treatment

Have specific questions? Need assistance?

Water Saving Tips

What are ways you can save water indoors?

Indoor water conservation is good for the environment and can help you save more on your monthly utility bills. Before you waste clean water down the drain, follow these steps to conserve more water indoors:

Around the House

  • Check all plumbing for leaks & have a plumber repair them.
  • Install aerators on all household faucets to minimize water use.
  • Insulate your water pipes to reduce heat loss, save energy, & prevent breakage.
  • Winterize outdoor spigots when temperatures fall below 20℉ to prevent bursting or freezing pipes.
  • Teach your children to turn faucets all the way off after each use.
  • Know where your master water shut-off is located so you can turn it off in the event of a bursting pipe.
  • Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period where you don’t use any water. If the meter changes, there is a leak.
  • Repair dripping faucets.
  • Insulate your water pipes to retain hot water faster and minimize wasted water.

Kitchen

  • Only run full loads in the dishwasher.
  • Don’t let the water run needlessly when hand washing dishes. Hand wash dishes with two containers – one containing soapy water, and the other containing rinse water with a small amount of chlorine bleach.
  • Clean vegetables in a pan filled with water.
  • Start a compost pile to dispose of food waste, or simply dispose of food in the garbage. Minimize your use of garbage disposals.
  • Store drinking water in the refrigerator as opposed to letting the tap run for cool water.
  • Heat water on the stove or in the microwave, or capture running water for other uses (like plant watering).
  • Before placing in the dishwasher, remove large food particles from dishes as opposed to rinsing them.
  • Defrost meat and other frozen foods overnight in the refrigerator as opposed to using running water.

Bathroom

  • Trade older toilets in for newer, low-volume toilets.
  • Was your toilet installed before 1980? If so, place a toilet dam or bottle filled with water in your toilet tank. These can cut down on the amount of water used after each flush. Be sure these devices do not interfere with operating parts.
  • If your shower head can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, then replace it with a water-efficient shower head.
  • Dispose of tissues, insects, and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
  • Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
  • Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak that needs repairing.

Laundry

  • Only wash full loads of laundry & use the appropriate load size.
  • Replace your existing laundry machine with an energy-efficient model.

What are ways you can save water outdoors?

Water is a valuable and limited resource. Luckily, there are lots of ways you can conserve more water outdoors. Below are some tips to help you conserve outdoor water:

Protect Your Trees from Drought

When you’re watering your lawn and garden in the spring and summer, make sure to water your trees if it hasn’t rained in a while. A moderate drought can take a heavy toll on trees, making it difficult for them to retain water, recover, and survive. Concentrate watering from the base of the trunk to about three feet out from it. Give your trees and the surrounding soil a deep soak once a week.

Check your trees for “drought stress”, which can occur when the soil can’t collect and provide an adequate supply of water to the trees. Prematurely yellowing leaves, bark cracks, and wilting leaves are signs of drought stress. Deep, frequent watering of the trees and surrounding soil can remedy and prevent drought stress.

Watering the Lawn

  • Make sure your grass receives one inch of water each week.
  • Water your lawn early in the morning. Avoid watering during the hottest times of day.
  • Adjust your sprinklers so you’re not wasting water towards the street and sidewalk.
  • Set a timer on your sprinklers so you don’t overwater your lawn.
  • Install a water sensor on an automatic sprinkler to prevent overwatering.
  • Use a soaker hose, hand-held hose, drip trickle irrigation, or micro-sprinkle in plant beds and gardens.
  • Consider using a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system, as it uses significantly less water than traditional sprinklers.

Mulching

Mulch maintains moisture in the soil, prevents weeds, inhibits certain soil-borne diseases, and insulates roots against extreme temperatures. Use organic, fine-textured, non-matting mulch, such as pine needles, pine straw, pine bark mini nuggets, hardwood chips, or cypress shavings. In autumn, you can also use fallen leaves as humus-rich mulch.

Use landscape fabric under mulch to prevent weed growth and adequately distribute water, oxygen, and nutrients to the roots of plants.

Xeriscapes

Are you wondering how you can transform your landscape’s energy efficiency?

Consider adopting a xeriscape, a style of landscape that minimizes irrigation, conserves more water, and protects the environment.

A xeriscape divides your landscape into three water-use “zones”:

  • High (Regular Watering): Areas that contain plants and flowers which require regular watering.
  • Moderate (Occasional Watering): Areas where the plants require occasional water on an as-need basis, such as azalea, dogwood, redbud, Japanese maple, and herbaceous perennials.
  • Low (Natural Rainfall): Areas where the plants don’t require irrigation because they water adequately with natural rainfall.

Design as much of your landscape as possible into a low water-use zone.

Keep in mind that turf grass, shrubs, and woody ornamental trees grow well in low water-use zones, as well as some herbaceous perennials and annuals. These plants will require some regular irrigation in the first eight to 10 weeks after planting.

Energy Saving Tips

What are ways you can save energy & money?

At Dalton Utilities, we encourage our customers to practice energy-efficiency that can help them save more money in the long run. Here are some ways you can conserve energy and save money each month on your utility bills:

Conduct an Energy Audit of Your House

  • Check insulation levels in your exterior walls, attic, and crawl spaces.
  • Inspect for holes and cracks around doors and windows.
  • When not in use, keep fireplace dampers closed to prevent air leaks.
  • Properly maintain your appliances and heating/cooling systems year-round.

Develop a Conservation Plan

The following questions can help you set priority projects in mind and decide which projects to tackle first:

  • How much are your energy bills each month?
  • How long will it take for an investment in energy-efficiency to pay for itself in savings?
  • What is your budget?
  • Can you do the project yourself? Should you hire a contractor?
  • How much do you have saved for repairs and maintenance?

Weatherize Your Home

Small air leaks can take a huge toll on your monthly energy bills. Here are some ways you can put an end to small air leaks and optimize the efficiency of your heating/cooling system:

  • Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.
  • Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, air ducts, or electrical wiring penetrate exterior walls.
  • Install rubber gaskets behind outlets and switch plates on exterior walls.
  • Install storm windows over single-pane windows, or replace them with double pane windows. You can also cover window frames with tightly sealed, heavy-duty clear plastic sheeting.

Heating Tips

  • Set your thermostat as low in winter and as high in summer as is comfortable.
  • Wear warm clothing in winter and cool clothing in summer to minimize thermostat use.
  • Check your attic insulation to see if it meets the recommended value of R-30. Install more insulation if necessary.
  • Schedule routine maintenance on your furnace or heat pump.
  • Inspect your furnace filters each month. Clean and replace them when necessary.
  • Make sure furniture, carpeting, and drapes aren’t blocking heating vents.
  • Turn kitchen and bathroom ventilation fans off as soon as possible.
  • Open the curtains and shades on your south-facing windows during the day. Close them at night.
  • Check your heating ducts for air leaks.
  • At bedtime or when leaving the house, set your thermostat 10° or 15° lower.

Water Heaters

  • Repair leaky faucets.
  • Insulate your electric water heater and surrounding pipes. Don’t cover the thermostat. Do not cover the top, bottom, thermostat, or burner component of a gas-powered water heater.
  • Take more showers than baths.

Laundry

  • Use cold water to wash clothes as much as possible.
  • Wash and dry full loads. Adjust the water level setting for smaller loads.
  • Dry towels and heavier linens in a separate load from lightweight clothes.
  • Don’t over-dry clothes.
  • Clean the lint filter after each use.
  • Use the cool-down cycle to finish drying clothes.
  • Regularly check the dryer vent for blockages.

Wastewater Tips

How can you avoid clogs from fats, oil, & grease?

Fat, oil, and grease are the three biggest culprits behind sewer blockages, which can cause significant property damage and create health and environmental hazards in the community. Here are some helpful tips to prevent sewer blockages and safely dispose of fat, oil, and grease:

  • Never pour grease down the sink drain or the toilet.
  • Place cooled grease, oil, and food scraps into a disposable container, like an old coffee can.
  • Scrape oil and grease from kitchen utensils and pans with paper towels and throw them away. Keep as much grease out of the wash water as possible.
  • Don’t put solids don’t the toilet or drain, such as rags, disposable diapers, baby wipes, or feminine hygiene products.
  • Do not throw litter in manholes.

If you see improper materials in manholes or in sewage systems, contact Dalton Utilities at 706-278-1313 to prevent sewer backup.

Natural Gas Saving Tips

Coming Soon!

Have questions? For more information, contact us at 706-278-1313.