We’re sure by now you’ve heard meteorologists talking about the potential record-breaking winter storm making its way into our area this weekend and into next week. With temps expected to reach well below freezing, we want to make sure you are prepared for such unusual temperatures.
While it may be tempting to crank up the heater, your next electricity bill will reflect how hard your heater worked to warm your entire home.
Below are some tips we’ve gathered to help you stay as warm and safe as possible:
- Grab your warmest blankets and fuzziest socks
- Don’t drastically raise your thermostat- Raising your thermostat quickly won’t warm your house quicker. In fact, it will only make your heater work harder
- Keep your fireplace closed when not in use- Your fireplace can warm a room, but cool air can creep in through the flue when it’s not being used
- Seal any drafts in your home- windows and doors are easy ways for heat to escape
- Stay safe- heating pads, electric blankets and space heaters can start a fire if left unattended
The latest forecasts show potential for a hard freeze, which occurs when temps fall below 24 degrees for over two hours. This type of weather puts your pipes, pets and outdoor plants in jeopardy. Please take time now to wrap exposed pipes and bring your pets and non-hardy plants indoors.
Heavy amounts of sleet, ice or snow could affect our electric lines. Crews will be on standby and ready to brave the weather to restore power if needed. If you experience an outage, please do your part by reporting it at 936-825-5100 or by texting OUTAGE to 352-667.
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