As cold weather continues its grip on our region, Ameren Illinois is asking its customers to conserve natural gas. The company says due to winter storms and sub-zero temperatures across the Midwest, the demand for natural gas is peaking.
The Department of Energy’s Energy.gov website recommends a number of ways to conserve energy. Among others, they include:
- Take advantage of the sun. Open curtains on south-facing windows during the day and close them at night.
- Cover drafts around windows.
- Set your thermostat as low as you can still remain comfortable.
- When you are asleep or out of the house turn your thermostat down.
- Keep your fireplace damper closed unless you have a fire burning.
- When you use your fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening the dampers in the bottom of the firebox.
- Turn down the setting on your hot water heater to the warm setting.
If you lose power during a winter storm, Ameren encourages its customers to remember the following:
- Call 911 and then notify Ameren at 800-755-5000 if damage to power lines or electrical equipment occurs near your home.
- Charge your cell phone in advance of storms. Consider buying a solar or battery operated phone charger to use in case of a power outage.
- Be careful when using candles for light during power outages. On average, twenty-one home candle fires are reported each day (in the U.S.) December is the peak month for home fires caused by candles.
- Prevent pipes from freezing in very cold weather by having water drip.
- Turn off light switches and unplug appliances to prevent damage and overloading circuits once power is restored.
- Block cold air from coming into your home by stuffing towels around windows or underneath doors.
More than a third of the country has been experiencing below-zero temperatures, and tens of millions of Americans were under winter weather or ice advisories on Monday according to the National Weather Service.
