PG&E Offers Free Gas Appliance Safety Checks

Customers can book free in-home inspections and pilot light relighting before cold-weather months arrive.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Home Repair

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a plain water heater in a quiet utility corner, with a small blue pilot flame glowing at its base beside a window. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company is offering free in-home gas appliance safety checks and pilot light relighting to California customers before winter arrives. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is offering free in-home gas safety checks to help customers prepare their gas appliances for winter. During visits, technicians inspect water heaters, boilers, and furnaces and relight pilot lights for appliances that went out during warmer months.

Why it matters

Carbon monoxide cannot be seen, smelled, or heard, and accidental non-fire poisoning causes more than 400 deaths annually in the United States. Inspecting gas appliances before winter helps reduce that risk for households across California.

Free checks cover water heaters, boilers, and furnaces, and appointments can be booked online at www.pge.com/pilotlights or by calling 800-743-5000. Scheduling is free, and all single-family homes in California must have carbon monoxide detectors.

The players

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)

PG&E is a major California utility that provides natural gas and electricity to millions of customers across much of the state's northern and central regions.

The details

A skilled technician visits the home or business to inspect all gas appliances, confirm they operate correctly, and relight any pilot lights that have gone out. The service is intended to ensure gas appliances run safely and efficiently ahead of colder weather.

Upcoming cold-weather months: free gas appliance safety checks offered ahead of winter.
Since the beginning of 2026: PG&E has responded to more than 6,300 suspected carbon monoxide incidents.

Seasonal Patterns

California's requirement that all single-family homes carry carbon monoxide detectors sets a baseline for household protection, and PG&E's pre-winter inspections address the gas appliances that generate the gas in the first place. Together they target both detection and prevention ahead of the heating season.

Schedule a free gas appliance inspection at www.pge.com/pilotlights or by calling 800-743-5000 before cold weather arrives. Test carbon monoxide detectors twice a year and replace them every 5 to 7 years.

The takeaway

Carbon monoxide is undetectable by the senses, so routine inspections of water heaters, boilers, and furnaces are a practical way to reduce risk. Pairing a yearly appliance check with twice-yearly detector testing covers both prevention and early warning.