In response to the State of Disaster Emergency due to wind chill warnings and stress on utility and natural gas providers issued by Gov. Laura Kelly, Kansans can help by reducing their natural gas and electric usage at this critical time.
Not sure where to start? Take one or more of these actions:
- Keep warm, not hot. When possible wear additional layers of clothing, consider turning down your thermostat and check your programmable settings.
- Seal leaks around doors and windows. Apply weather stripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss. If that is not an option, you can also cover windows with towels, sheets or plastic to help keep the warm air in your house.
- Reduce the temperature on your water heater. Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting. If your home will be vacant for two days or more, set the dial to the pilot position for even more savings.
- Close blinds and curtains. This helps keep warm air inside, especially if the sun is not shining.
- Hold off on doing chores. Doing laundry and washing dishes can both use natural gas to heat the water and your dryer. If you can, wait until the extreme cold weather passes to complete these activities. If you cannot wait, use the cold setting where possible.
