Northwest Gas moves to four-day work week for spring, summer seasons

HAMILTON — Northwest Gas, also known as the Northwest Alabama Gas District, has recently moved to a spring and summer schedule where the office will be open on Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The office will resume a five-day work week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., this fall and winter from October through next February. They will revert back to the 10-hour employee workday (30 minutes for lunch) Monday through Thursday schedule from March to September each year.
Northwest Gas General Manager Heath Reed made the proposal for the gas district to modify its work schedule during the board of director’s meeting held on April 2.
“Our primary business is in the winter time when we turn customers’ services on,” he explained. “Summer time is more maintenance, construction and when we maintain our system. There’s not a lot of customer interaction in the summer time.
“I’d like to propose we go to a four-day, 10-hour day work week in the spring and summer and then revert back to our normal five day a week schedule in the fall.”
He noted the extended spring and summer hours will allow the office to stay open until 5:30 p.m., if customers need to come in later
“It’s also one less day we’re driving our trucks and opening offices,” he said. “I think it’ll be a savings, but also an encouragement to employees to get more done during the longer summer days.”
He explained the proposal included manning the office on Fridays, with one of the eight office employees filling in to answer the phone and deal with emergency calls. The office will not be open to the public on Fridays.
He said the employees working on Friday will receive compensation time for their hours, and they’ll be able to get a day off at another time.
“Our guys will still be on call, as they are 24-7,” he said. “Nothing will change there. We’ll still be available for emergency calls.”
The board unanimously voted in favor of the schedule change. Some of the board mentioned the new hours would also allow employees to schedule other appointments or activities on Fridays.
They also noted other companies who have changed to four-day work weeks have had positive employee feedback, once employees get used to the new longer hours.
Reed mentioned the gas district’s construction crews went to the modified schedule a few years ago because they are required to travel so much, typically an hour or more on most days, just to get to job sites.
“It’s been really good for them,” he said. “We may average two or three days a year we have to come in on Fridays, but it’s rare.”
The new schedule went into effect on Monday, April 13.

Decatur Utilities
now supplied by NWAGD
In other big news for the district, Reed noted NWAGD entered into a contract last year to supply natural gas to Decatur Utilities. Work on the new meter and regulator station was completed in late 2025, and the district began supplying gas to Decatur in January.
He explained because of new industrial and residential growth in and around Decatur, the utility realized a need to supplement their existing supply.
He said Northwest Gas has infrastructure in place including an underground storage facility, connections to multiple interstate pipelines and an adequate pipeline network to provide the needed supply of natural gas to Decatur Utilities at competitive rates.
Reed noted the agreement is mutually beneficial to Decatur and Northwest Gas and will allow the district to increase its annual throughput volume. The added revenue will aid the district in keeping utility costs low for its existing customer base and allow the district to continue to maintain and operate the existing system.
“We are excited about this new opportunity to grow the system,” Reed said. “We are hopeful Decatur Utilities will continue to increase their gas purchase volumes from Northwest Gas as more growth occurs in the Tennessee Valley.”