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Tips for keeping your home comfortable as cold weather approaches

Chelan County PUD
News Release
1/4/2005

Colder temperatures are in the weather forecast in the coming week, and Chelan County PUD has some tips for keeping your home comfortable and for using energy wisely.

The PUD has already taken the steps necessary to meet the increased demand for power when winter temperatures drop, and the PUD encourages customers to take these measures for their own comfort:

• Set your thermostat at 68 degrees, or at a temperature that’s comfortable for you.
• Check furnace filters once a month and replace if dirty. A dirty furnace filter restricts warm air and makes your furnace work harder.
• Make sure your foundation vents are closed. If your vents do not close, tape plastic over the outside to help keep out the cold.
• This helps keep your home warmer and protects against frozen water pipes.
• If you’ve had problems with freezing pipes in the past, consider letting a cold water faucet drip continuously when the weather is at its coldest. If your pipes do freeze, be cautious of potential fire hazards in using heat sources to thaw them.
• Check weather stripping on exterior doors and windows. Adjust and/or replace the stripping if you can see light around the door.
• Make sure unnecessary lights, particularly outdoor lighting, are turned off during the day.
• Close drapes in the evening and on overcast days to keep heat in. Make sure drapes don’t block heat registers.
• On sunny days, open drapes on south-facing windows to catch the warmth of the sun.  
• Be sure you know the location of the water shut-off valve in your home. Check it periodically to ensure it works.
• Wrap outside faucets with insulation or newspaper.
• Open cupboard doors under sinks, especially where plumbing is in outside walls, to let interior heat warm the pipes.
• Place a lighted bulb in small unheated areas where water pipes are located.
• f you are away from home for any length of time, leave the thermostat set at least at 55 degrees. Shut off water to the house and open all faucets to drain pipes; flush the toilet once to drain the tank, but not the bowl.

***

For more information on energy saving tips call Mark Wiser, PUD Energy Services supervisor, at 667-4205.  Or check the PUD’s Web site at www.chelanpud.org.

If you are a Chelan County PUD water customer with questions about your service, call 667-4212.

Kimberlee Craig
Public Information Officer
661.4320
679.6958, cell
kimc@chelanpud.org