With snow forecasted this weekend and extremely cold temperatures early next week, UGI Utilities encourages you to take precautions to stay safe, protect your home, and potentially save on energy costs.
Tips for Staying Safe and Prepared:
- Keep warm indoors by dressing in layers and using blankets.
- Clear snow and ice from meters and vents by hand or with a broom.
- Allow faucets to drip slightly to prevent freezing, and open cabinet doors to warm exposed pipes.
- Charge your devices, check your emergency supplies, and have flashlights and batteries on hand in case of a power outage.
- Never use a gas-powered range or oven to heat a home.
- If using portable heaters, follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions including plugging the heater directly into a wall outlet, not an extension cord or power strip. Also, keep portable heaters away from flammable items.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home and regularly replace the batteries.
- Consider ways to conserve energy and reduce costs including:
- Set your thermostat two to three degrees lower than the current setting or to the lowest comfortable setting.
- Avoid using large appliances during peak hours (6:00am – 10:00am and 5:00pm – 10:00pm) if possible.
- Turn off non-essential electric lights, equipment, and appliances.
- Open curtains and blinds during the day to take advantage of the warming effects of sunlight.
- Seal drafty areas around windows and doors.
UGI crews are prepared to respond to any service interruptions. Please report outages or other service issues by calling UGI at 800-276-2722. Always stay away from downed wires. If you smell the rotten egg odor added to natural gas, evacuate immediately and get at least the length of a football field away before calling UGI or 911.
UGI Utilities, Inc. is a natural gas and electric utility company that serves more than 760,000 customers. Additional information about UGI Utilities, Inc. is available at www.ugi.com.
