Keep the following tips in mind to keep your home safe and warm while managing heating costs during the winter season:
- Make sure your furnace is inspected and operating properly.
- Eliminate drafts with weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows.
- Change or clean the furnace filters to maximize air flow efficiency.
- Protect your water pipes in outside walls – run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing.
- Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
- Keep the garage doors closed if there are water lines in the garage and close your outside crawl space vents to prevent frozen pipes.
- Check your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors to ensure they are operating according to manufacturer’s recommendation.
- When using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs. Don’t forget to turn off space heaters when going to bed.
- Never use stoves, ovens or outdoor grills as a source of indoor heat.
Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s WarmWise Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program offers cash rebates for insulation and appliances as well as other simple ways to save energy costs. Columbia Gas also offers a Budget Payment Plan which can help manage your monthly energy bills.