Seasonal Weather and Holiday Tips

It is never too early to prepare for cooler temperatures. The following tips are provided to you as a starting point when preparing your home for the chilly months.

Use Heaters Efficiently and Safely

• Set heat at 68 degrees or lower and no lower than 55 degrees when leaving the home.
• Keep air vents and portable heating appliances away from furniture, carpet, or curtains.
• Have all heating appliances checked and serviced yearly by a reliable professional.
• When buying any heating equipment, make sure what you're buying conforms to local building and fire codes.
• When shopping for portable or space heaters, look for automatic shut-off safety features and UL or other testing laboratory rating.
• Use space heaters with care and inspect electric heaters for damaged cords.
• Follow fire safety rules for safe heating practices.

Holiday Decorating

Decorating your home is always an enjoyable holiday activity and Lafayette Utilities System wants this activity to be a safe one for you and your family. Use the following safety precautions when decorating.

• Use nonflammable decorations.
• Use electrical devices that have a UL label.
• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in.
• Do not overload extension cords.
• Disconnect your lights from a socket before repairing.
• Always unplug lights before turning in for the night or leaving your home.
• For outdoor lights, use weather proof cords, plugs, connections and sockets.
• Place outside sockets above the ground to prevent water from entering, and finally.
• Keep a safe distance away from overhead power lines when decorating the outside of your home.
• Keep electric cords away from walkways or underneath rugs.

Protect Your Pipes

• Instead of letting faucets drip overnight, which may decrease city water pressure, insulate exposed pipes and pipes in unheated areas (crawl space, attics) of your home.
• Open cabinet doors to allow heat into areas under sinks near exterior walls where pipes may not be insulated.
• Locate your disconnect valve before cold weather arrives. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off and drain water from outside faucets.
• When using heat tape or heat cables, make sure products are UL (Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.) or other independent testing laboratory approved.

If Your Pipes Freeze

• Know how to shut off water in case pipes burst.
• Call a plumber and contact your insurance agent.
• Never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame or torch.
• Always be aware of the danger of electric shock in and around standing water.

Click here for winter energy efficiency tips.