Chelan PUD has helpful hints to help stay warm(er)
information released
When all you want for Christmas is warmth, Chelan PUD has a few tips on how to keep your home cozy without cranking up the thermostat.
- Door socks: Place blankets or towels by the door to prevent the cold air from drafting in and the heat from escaping.
- Close the shades: Close your drapes to retain heat. If it’s sunny during the day, open the drapes to capture warmth from the sun.
- Better air flow: Replace your air filter. Clogged filters make your heating system less efficient. Keep doors open in your house (unless you have baseboards or other zonal heat).
- AC units are out: If you still have an AC unit in your window, remove it and close the window.
- Dress warmer or put an extra blanket on the bed. It’s less expensive than turning up the heat.
- Close the damper: Fireplaces are designed to move heat quickly up the chimney. When you’re not using it, keep it closed so it doesn’t suck the heat out of your home.
- Lower your water heater temperature: Keep the water heater temperature at 125 degrees to conserve energy.
- Close foundation vents for winter. If your vents don’t close, taping a piece of plastic on the outside will help considerably.
Residential Energy Efficiency Adviser Josh Mitchell cautions against switching heat pump systems to e-heat or auxiliary heat, which uses a lot more energy.
“If you have a heat pump, keep the thermostat to heat or auto mode,” said residential energy advisor Josh Mitchell. “The thermostat is smart enough to tell your back-up heat to turn on when the heat pump can’t keep up. Only turn the heat pump off during emergencies like when your defrost cycle stops working.”
If you’re concerned about water pipes freezing:
- Consider letting a cold-water faucet drip continuously when the weather is at its coldest.
- Know the location of the water shut-off valve in your home. Check to make sure it works.
- Open cupboard doors under sinks, especially where plumbing is in outside walls, to let interior heat warm the pipes.
The electrical grid is working hard to keep everyone warm as temperatures dip into single digits. As the demand for electricity increases, so does stress on the equipment that delivers electricity. If the power goes out, check for updates on the new outage map: outages.chelanpud.org. If you don’t see an outage on the map, call us 24/7 at 877-783-8123 to report it.
These tips can help keep you safe, and help PUD crews safely restore power as quickly as possible:
- Turn off all but one light – on the porch or inside where it can be seen from the street – so you and PUD crews know when power is restored.
- Never use fuel-burning devices, like gasoline-powered generators, gasoline-powered pressure washers, camp stoves and lanterns, or charcoal grills inside, or in any confined space, or within 10 feet of windows, doors, or other air intakes. Using these items in your home can produce carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. If you plan to use a portable generator, make sure you plug appliances directly into the generator. Or, make sure your home is disconnected from the PUD’s electric system with a transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician.
- Prevent cold-load pickup: When power is restored after an outage, sometimes the pent-up electrical demand can overload the system and result in another outage. For the first two hours after power is restored, keep use of non-heating appliances to a minimum.
DO NOT go near, touch or try to move any lines on the ground or trees tangled in them – stay far away and call the PUD at 877-783-8123 or 9-1-1 for help!
Find more tips on “weathering” a cold snap at chelanpud.org/ColdWeatherTips.
