When the power is out, it’s never fun. And losing power in the winter can be downright dangerous. If you’ve lost heat, water pipes may freeze and burst if it gets cold enough, and you may have to go without heat and lights. So how can you protect your house and yourself in case of a winter blackout?
Start planning before it happens. Check to make sure all your flashlights and portable radios have working batteries, with a few extra as backup. Also, make sure you have emergency heating equipment and heating fuel as a fall-back if it happens to drop below freezing. Keep your cell phone fully charged, or at least have a charger you can use in your car (though never idle your automobile in the garage).
If you do lose power, make sure to dress appropriately. Only open the refrigerator and freezer if you absolutely have to. Unplug all of your sensitive electrical devices in case there is a large jolt of electricity when the power comes back on.
After the electricity comes back on, check with neighbors to see how they are doing and if they need any help.
You also should consider testing your heating and cooling equipment to make sure it properly works after any outage. If you have any questions, you can always call Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We can help you manage your HVAC system when the power is out and we can check the system afterwards to make sure it’s working properly.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about power outages and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Donald P Dick Air Conditioning services the greater Fresno area in California. Visit our websiteto see our special offers and get started today!
| Solution image via Shutterstock |