Cold weather tips Archives | Citizens Utility Board

CUB consumer alert: Tips to battle bitter cold at home

Jim Chilsen — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 19:12:12 +0000

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) on Friday released tips for Illinoisans to keep their homes safe and warm, with temperatures expected to plunge following a winter storm. “With dangerously low temperatures approaching, everyone’s top priority over the next few days should be to stay safe,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said in a news release. “Please make sure you’re staying safe and warm, and your loved ones are too.” CUB has tips and helpful information at CUBHelpCenter.com. Here are some quick tips: Don’t take risks. Don’t use your oven or stove to heat your home. If you use a space heater, place it on a hard, level surface; don’t use an extension cord; keep it at least three feet away from flammable objects, such as the couch, blankets or curtains; and don’t leave it on overnight. During this cold, keep your home at a safe temperature (about 68-70 degrees or more). Remember, setting the thermostat too low is dangerous to your health and can freeze pipes. Make sure carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors are in working order. Don’t overwork your heating system. Close blinds/curtains or cover your windows with blankets as an extra layer of protection against icy night winds. But let the sunlight in during the day to help heat your home. Clear radiators, registers, air returns and baseboards of obstructions. Dust, carpet and furniture can block the heat and leave a room chilly. You can’t heat your home if the air isn’t circulating. Reduce the drafts. This bitter cold is an opportunity to pinpoint the drafts in your home. Your hardware store can provide the materials to seal those leaks. If you don’t have a door guard or sweep to block cold air under your front and back doors and you can’t get to the hardware store, use a rolled up towel, a rug or newspaper to block the drafts. Clean or replace filters for a forced-air heating system. A dirty or non-functioning filter does nothing but drain money from your wallet. Check it every month—and now is a great time to clean or replace it if it’s dirty. Beware of bad deals. If your gas or electric bill is skyrocketing, check to see if you’re paying for a bad deal with an alternative supplier. Read your utility bill to see if another company is listed on the supply section. Inquire about assistance this month. Homes that can’t afford their heating bills should contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to see if they qualify for assistance: 1-877-411-9276. Be a good member of the community. Confirm that neighbors, friends and family are OK. KeepWarm.Illinois.gov has information on where Illinoisans can find warming centers.

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Tips for staying safe, warm and energy-efficient during Illinois winters

Sophia — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:29:36 +0000

Illinois winters are notorious for snowfall and below freezing temperatures. Here are some tips to stay warm, safe and energy efficient. Staying safe in low temperatures Check on neighbors and loved ones. If you or someone you know doesn’t have access to heat, Keep Warm Illinois lists warming centers near you. Be careful when doing outdoor tasks like shoveling snow. Wear multiple layers of lightweight clothing rather than one thick garment, as this will help keep you insulated. Make sure to cover your head, wear mittens and take frequent breaks. We know pets can be part of your family, too. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has plenty of cold-weather tips for your pets. Remember: Stay inside if you can, and be wary of the wind chill. Prolonged exposure to cold can lead to frostbite and hypothermia. (Know the signs!) Prepare yourself for wintry weather Maintain an emergency kit with the essentials. This includes practical items such as bottled water, snacks, a battery-powered radio, flashlights, a first aid kit and extra cash. (Have batteries and a portable cellphone charger also.) Experts say that you should be prepared with enough supplies to last three days. Some examples of sufficient supplies include: One gallon of water per person per day. At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Be ready to report any outages to your utility company. Wintry weather can spark power outages. By reporting these failures, utility companies can get to work as quickly as possible to restore your power. The following is a list of resources from the major utility companies operating in Illinois. See power outage maps for Ameren Illinois, ComEd and MidAmerican. ComEd: Visit https://www.comed.com/Outages/ReportAnOutage/Pages/default.aspx for information on the variety of ways to report outages. Sign up for ComEd’s messaging program for outage updates, including estimated restoration times. Ameren: Visit https://www.ameren.com/illinois/outage-center for information on reporting outages and preparing for bad weather. Sign up for Ameren’s outage alert system. MidAmerican: Report outages using https://www.midamericanenergy.com/ecss/Outage The major gas utilities, Ameren, Nicor, North Shore Gas, MidAmerican and Peoples Gas, also have tips on heating safety, including what to do when you smell gas and how to identify carbon monoxide poisoning. Additional winter weather resources: Need to call utility? Here’s a list of utility hotlines. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency has this winter weather preparedness guide. It also has an updated list of county-level Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs). Ready Illinois has winter tips as does the Illinois Department of Public Health. The National Weather Service has detailed information on winter storm alerts. (Illinois-specific info is here.) Follow these guidelines if you experience a power outage: Contact your support network to let people know that you are OK. Also, monitor alerts about the outage. Keep your freezers and refrigerators closed as much as possible. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full). Use perishable food from the refrigerator first. Perishables should have a temperature under 40 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe to eat. (Use a food thermometer to check, and throw […]

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Q&A: High natural gas bills in Illinois

Jim Chilsen — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 11:00:12 +0000

Natural gas bills are at their highest level in years, and the two major reasons are: overly aggressive spending by gas utilities and skyrocketing supply prices. Read our Q&A to get the details. How expensive has this been for consumers? People in Illinois who heat their homes with natural gas (about 80 percent of households) paid hundreds of dollars more in the winter of 2021-22, compared with the previous winter. It was the most expensive cold season since 2008-09. This winter could be worse, as prices continue to be elevated for the 2022-23 winter heating season. Why are we seeing high bills? Consumers are getting hit with a “double-whammy”–higher than average charges on both the supply and delivery sides of gas bills. Aggressive utility spending on the delivery side of bills. In recent years, utilities have launched aggressive spending programs that have increased the delivery charges on our bills. That’s what we pay the utility to deliver gas to our homes–plus a profit for the company. In previous years, when gas prices were lower, the impact of utility spending wasn’t as noticeable on our bills. That changed in 2021. Spiking natural gas supply prices. Natural gas prices go through periodic price spikes, and this one was sparked by an extreme cold snap that brought record-low temperatures across the nation in February of 2021. The extreme weather, which has been attributed to climate change, froze natural gas in pipelines and wellheads in Texas and other areas of the South, limiting supply across the country just as heating demand was shooting up. The limited supply coupled with high demand sent prices soaring. Since then, other factors have helped keep prices elevated, including: 1) increased demand as economies recovered from the pandemic; 2) increased Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) exports to other parts of the world, such as Europe, keeping supply lower here; 3) less gas exploration and well construction in recent years because the gas industry didn’t see those efforts as profitable; 4) increased demand for natural gas to generate electricity during warmer summers; 5) disruptions in gas supply caused by Russia, a major oil and gas producer, invading Ukraine; and 6) Hurricane Ida in the summer of 2021 knocked more than 90 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico offline, according to the Energy Information Administration. “The boom-bust cycle of this fossil fuel is making consumers pay,” CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Bryan McDaniel said. Why are gas utilities increasing delivery charges on bills? Major Illinois utilities–Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas–successfully pushed for legislation in 2013 that allowed them to add the “Qualified Infrastructure Plant” surcharge to bills to help them bring in revenue more quickly and easily than through a traditional 11-month rate case. Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Peoples Gas, the utility for Chicagoans, has collected more than $600 million in surcharges since 2016–and the QIP charge had ballooned to about $15 every month for the average household. “So many people in the city are having trouble paying their bills as it is,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata told Crain’s. “This is a reckoning that was just waiting to […]

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Consumer alert: CUB releases tips on surviving expensive winter

Jim Chilsen — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 11:22:43 +0000

With consumers facing higher heating bills this winter due to skyrocketing natural gas prices and aggressive utility spending, CUB released tips to help consumers get through an expensive winter. The watchdog has set up a special online resource, CUBHelpCenter.com, which explains why gas bills are high and offers safety and efficiency tips. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook in November, the Energy Information Administration estimated that Midwest natural gas customers could pay about 30% more to heat their homes this winter, compared with last. The chart shows the residential gas prices of major Illinois utilities as of Nov. 1, compared with last year and 2020. Utility Nov. 2022 % change from Nov. 2021 % change from Nov. 2020 Ameren Illinois 80.75¢ per therm 19% increase 139% increase Nicor Gas $1.14 per therm 68% increase 307% increase North Shore Gas 72.48¢ per therm 6% increase 87% increase Peoples Gas 71.16¢ per therm 4% decrease 155% increase Note: Gas utility supply prices can change monthly. Utilities do not profit off supply prices. They pass those costs onto customers with no markup. “We are concerned consumers who are stressed about their utility bills will take risks to lower their costs,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “The safest, most reliable way to fight these price spikes is through energy efficiency—it’s about keeping your home safe and warm, and your bills more affordable. We’re asking all Illinois consumers to look out for each other and make sure friends, family and neighbors are staying safe and warm.” Kolata said there are two reasons for the high heating bills: Spiking natural gas supply prices. Natural gas prices go through periodic price spikes, and this one was first sparked by an extreme cold snap in 2021 that for a time froze gas in wellheads and pipelines, limiting supply just as demand went up. Since then, the high prices have been propped up by other developments, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Aggressive utility spending on the delivery side of bills. In recent years, utilities have launched aggressive spending programs that have increased the delivery charges on bills. That’s what we pay the utility to deliver gas to our homes–plus a profit for the company. In previous years, when gas prices were lower, the impact of utility spending wasn’t as noticeable. In 2013, the General Assembly allowed major gas utilities (Peoples Gas, Nicor Gas and Ameren) to add the Qualified Infrastructure Plant (QIP) surcharge to consumer bills. The QIP helps them bring in revenue more quickly and easily than through a traditional 11-month rate case. With Peoples Gas, the surcharge is up to about $15 a month for the average household. In addition to the surcharge, Nicor Gas has aggressively pursued record-high rate hikes in recent years, raising delivery rates by more than $500 million since 2018. And Ameren Illinois received a $76 million rate hike in 2021. CUB and other consumer advocates have been on a years-long campaign urging the General Assembly to end the surcharge and put more regulatory control on gas utility spending. (Send a message to legislators to end the QIP charge.) Kolata said the recent efforts by the City of Chicago […]

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Preparing your home for winter storms

Hannah — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:59:36 +0000

Preparing your family and your home for rough winter weather can often help you avoid disaster. CUB compiled helpful tips. 1. Weatherize your home. Complete weatherization tasks, like the ones included in the list below, and protect your home and your wallet. Clean or repair heating and cooling systems. Install duct and pipe insulation. Assess fire hazards and install appropriate alarm systems. Seal drafts around windows and doors with weatherstripping. Illinois consumers have access to additional weatherization resources through their electric and gas companies (i.e. ComEd, Ameren, Nicor, Peoples Gas). For more information, visit your local utility company’s website and CUB’s gas and electric pages. 2. Know the numbers for your local and state emergency management agencies. The State of Illinois has a number of emergency resources available to people in need. A severe weather preparedness guide. An updated list of county-level Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs). 3. Keep an emergency kit stocked. This kit should include practical items such as bottled water, snacks, a battery-powered radio, flashlights and a first aid kit. We hope you never need to use such supplies, but it never hurts to be fully prepared. Experts say that you should have enough supplies to last three days, including one gallon of water per person per day and at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. 4. Sign up for your utility’s outage alert system. Ameren and ComEd offer a messaging service that sends you texts about outage information in your area, such as estimated restoration times. This will keep you up to date in an emergency situation. Sign up for ComEd’s messaging program. Sign up for Ameren’s messaging program. If you experience a failure, contact your utility immediately so it can restore your power as quickly as possible. 5. Follow these guidelines if you experience an outage: Stay away from fallen or low-hanging wires or anything they contact. Don’t try to help utility workers by moving branches off the lines. Keep a safe distance. Stay alert for gas odors. If you smell gas, or if you hear a blowing or hissing noise, leave the area immediately and call your utility. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An unopened refrigerator will keep foods cold for about 4 hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. First use perishable food from the refrigerator. Perishables should have a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below to be safe to eat. Next, use food from the freezer. Then, use your non-perishable foods and staples. If it looks like the power outage will continue beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items. Keep food in a dry, cool spot and keep it covered at all times.

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Winter preparedness: Weatherstripping

Sophia — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:12:26 +0000

Using weatherstripping in your home to seal air leaks is a simple and effective way to improve energy efficiency and save money on heating bills. Weatherstripping can also protect the integrity of your home’s insulation by preventing warm, moist air from escaping through it. But before you take a trip to your local hardware store, first inspect your doors and windows for air leaks. It may also be helpful to measure the perimeters of all the places you plan to install weatherstripping, to get an idea of how much you should purchase. There are several types of weatherstripping available at the hardware store. The most common are felt, adhesive-backed foam; vinyl “V” strips; and door sweeps. A quick review of hardware stores found that felt and foam weatherstripping run between $3 and $10. Vinyl V strips cost a range of about $5 to $25, and a door sweep costs about $15 to $40. From left to right: Felt, adhesive-backed foam, vinyl V weatherstripping and a door sweep Be sure to choose the correct type of weatherstripping for the area of your house you are sealing by taking into account potential exposure to moisture, wear and tear and weather changes. Check out the Department of Energy’s helpful fact sheet on choosing weatherstripping and installation. Installing weatherstripping can be relatively simple (depending on what type you’ve chosen). Refer to the product’s instructions for best practices with your specific type of weatherstripping. Before installing, prepare your home surfaces by cleaning them with soap and water, and allowing them to dry completely. Windows If you are using foam tape for your windows, apply weatherstripping to the fixed frame that supports the glass, also known as a sash. Repeat this step for as many windows as necessary. When the windows in your home are closed, the foam’s airtight barrier will prevent cold air from coming in and warm air from escaping through the window frame. Tip: Foam tape can wear down with constant friction, so be sure to periodically check on the condition of your weatherstripping and replace as necessary. Many homeowners choose to use vinyl V strips for double-hung or sliding windows instead of adhesive-backed foam. Open the window by pulling the bottom sash up as far as it can go and cut a piece of weather stripping the length of the opening. Remove the backing and push the weatherstripping into place. Repeat this step with the upper sash. When the window is closed, the “V” will close and create an airtight seal. There are a lot of online resources to show you how window weatherstripping works, such as this Lowe’s step-by-step guide. Also, watch this video from Mr. Hardware’s YouTube channel. Doors If you elect to use foam tape for your doors, apply one strip on each side along the length of the door. Ensure the tape fits securely and tightly at the corners. You may instead choose to install a door sweep. Place the sweep against the exterior of your door so that there is no light coming through. With the sweep in place, mark the location […]

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Using a space heater this winter? Consider this.

Hannah — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 16:11:17 +0000

Gas prices are skyrocketing right now, and it looks like these high prices will continue through the winter. CUB’s Consumer Advocacy Department has already received some calls: Consumers want to know if it’s better to turn down their thermostat and turn on a space heater. The short answer: If you drop your thermostat a few degrees and supplement the heat with a space heater, you could save money, but there’s no guarantee. This is most practical for people who spend most of the day in one room of their home, like an office. The long answer: How much you’ll save depends on how you use your space heater (and how old it is), the size of the room you’re trying to heat, and how divided the room is from the rest of your house. If your space heater has an accurate thermostat and you aren’t blasting the heat all day, you’ll probably save money. Some space heaters are equipped with thermostats that automate the heater’s operation, so you don’t have to turn the heater on and off manually to maintain a comfortable temperature. Most newer space heaters include built-in fans, which help distribute the heat throughout the room. It also helps heat up a room faster. If you’re looking to buy a space heater, consider options that offer thermostats, built-in fans, tip-over switches (this automatically shuts off the heater if it is knocked over), and long, heavy-duty cords. Also think about the room you’ll be heating. Smaller rooms that are more closed off from the rest of the home are quicker and cheaper to heat with a space heater. Open rooms, such as a living room or kitchen, with hallway access to other rooms are more difficult to heat efficiently. Do not turn off your natural gas furnace and heat your entire home with space heaters. Although electricity is cheaper than gas per unit (kilowatt-hour vs. therm), electricity is about twice as expensive as natural gas for the same amount of heating power, according to Consumer Reports. For the same cost, you can heat only half the area with electricity that you could with natural gas. Remember that space heaters are inefficient heating sources. (The Department of Energy’s EnergyStar program doesn’t certify space heaters in the EnergyStar program for this reason.) They should be used temporarily for spot heating and not as a main heating source. If you do choose to use a space heater this winter, exercise caution. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that portable electric heaters are responsible for about 1,100 fires per year, which can result in death, injury and property loss. Follow the manufacturer’s directions closely and keep these safety tips in mind: Keep flammable objects, such as bedding, curtains, clothes and furniture, at least 3 feet away from your space heater. Do not use an extension cord with your heater. Turn off your space heater when leaving the room or going to bed. If you have children, teach them the dangers of space heaters. Ensure children’s toys and games are at least three feet from the heater. Never use a space heater in […]

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Q&A: High natural gas prices in Illinois

Hannah — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:26:33 +0000

Natural gas prices charged by Illinois utilities began shooting up last spring, and continue to be at a high level (double and triple last year’s prices) as we head into the expensive winter heating season. Read our Q&A to find out why this is happening and how you can protect yourself. What are the major gas utilities charging in Illinois? Prices charged by Illinois utilities have been double or triple what they were last year. Crain’s Chicago Business reported in late September that prices could be at their highest levels since the winter of 2008-09, and gas utilities in the Chicago region predict that heating bills from November through March will be about 35 percent to 50 percent higher than last year. CUB has been following the gas prices each month. For the latest charges, see CUBHelpCenter.com. This chart on Nicor Gas’ website is a good illustration of when the price spike began in 2021. Also, these charts on the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) website highlight historical prices for Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas. Why are we seeing an increase in prices? In part, it’s the lingering effects of an extreme cold snap that brought record-low temperatures across the nation last February. The extreme weather, which has been attributed to climate change, froze natural gas pipelines and wellheads in Texas and other areas of the South, limiting supply across the country just as heating demand was shooting up. The limited supply coupled with high demand sparked skyrocketing market prices that contributed to high utility supply rates all year. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration issued a disaster proclamation for all 102 Illinois counties in the wake of the snow and subzero temperatures in the state February 14-15. Pritzker said: “Extreme weather has resulted in frozen wells in key natural gas producing states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The sub-zero temperatures are resulting in increased demand and decreased supply, causing natural gas prices to spike. Utility companies across the nation are reporting soaring wholesale costs…” Other factors have helped keep prices elevated, including: 1) increased demand as economies worldwide begin to recover from the pandemic; 2) increased Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) exports to other parts of the world, such as Europe, keeping supply lower here; 3) less gas exploration and well construction in recent years; 4) increased use of gas for electricity generation in a hot summer of high air-conditioning use; and 5) Hurricane Ida knocked more than 90 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico offline in late August, according to the Energy Information Administration. (For more on the high gas prices, see coverage by Bloomberg and NPR.) “The boom-bust cycle of this fossil fuel is making consumers pay,” CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Bryan McDaniel said. How are gas prices regulated in Illinois? Natural gas utilities do NOT profit off gas supply. Under state law, they pass on the costs of natural gas to consumers, with no markup. (The companies do make a profit off the rates they charge us to deliver gas to our homes. When utilities ask for delivery rate hikes, CUB challenges them.) But supply prices are […]

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Your Winter To-Do List: Save Money, Keep the Chill Out

Hannah — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:30:40 +0000

Grocery stores have started selling Halloween candy, and Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spiced Latte is back on the menu: Fall is upon us, and chilly weather isn’t far behind. Start preparing for colder temps with these five to-dos to keep your home warm and safe this winter. Weatherstripping – Weatherstripping can be used to seal air leaks around doors and windows. By keeping warm air in and preventing cold outside air from leaking indoors, weatherstripping can help you save on your heating bills. This is especially true in older homes with leaky windows and doors. Energy.gov’s helpful fact sheet breaks down your weatherstripping options and provides some installation guidance. (Also, if you have storm doors or windows, make sure to install them before the cold arrives. Now is a good time to inspect and repair them, if necessary.) Switch the direction of your fan – In the winter, your fan should rotate clockwise (from your position looking up at it) at the slowest speed. Turning clockwise, the fan’s blades pull cold air up, which then pushes warm air down toward the room’s occupants. Used in combination with a wise temperature setting, this tip can save consumers up to 15 percent on their winter bills. If you’re not sure how to change the direction of your ceiling fan, watch CUB’s quick how-to video. Change your furnace filter – This is an important maintenance step to ensure your furnace is operating properly and efficiently. You should check your filter monthly. To determine if it’s too dirty, remove the filter and hold it up to the light. If you can no longer clearly see light, change the filter. To install a filter correctly, ensure that the arrow printed on the edge of the filter points toward the blower motor. Putting it in backward decreases the filter’s efficiency. Schedule an HVAC inspection – While you’re replacing your furnace filter, schedule an inspection with a reputable HVAC contractor. Most systems last 10 to 15 years but can last longer and run more efficiently with maintenance. An inspector can check your system to ensure everything is working properly. Try to schedule an inspection for early fall if possible: it’s better to identify any issues with your furnace before the weather turns frigid. Drain your outdoor spigots – Water freezing in your pipes during cold weather can lead to burst pipes — a financial and home-repair disaster. Read CUB’s how-to blog to properly drain your outdoor faucets and prevent a water-pipe nightmare. Bonus tip – Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. We’re all blasting the furnace or building fires during the winter months, making us more susceptible to accidental house fires and carbon monoxide exposure. Ensure your detectors are working — replace the batteries if you’re unsure of the last time they were changed.

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CUB releases tips in wake of governor’s disaster declaration

Jim Chilsen — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 23:17:13 +0000

Dangerously low temperatures and up to a foot of snow prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to issue a disaster proclamation for all 102 counties and warn Illinois consumers about the possibility of “soaring utility bills.” . “The sub-zero temperatures are resulting in increased demand and decreased supply, causing natural gas prices to spike,” the governor’s news release said Tuesday. “Utility companies across the nation are reporting soaring wholesale costs, and without federal intervention, those increased prices could result in higher utility bills for Illinois residents in the coming weeks.” Responding to the governor’s proclamation CUB issued a consumer alert with tips on how to stay safe and warm. Don’t take risks. Don’t use your oven to heat your home. If you use a space heater, place it on a hard, level surface; don’t use an extension cord; keep it at least three feet away from flammable objects such as the couch or curtains; and don’t leave it on overnight. Keep your home at a safe temperature (about 68-70 degrees). Blasting the heat can be bad for your heating bills, but going too low is dangerous to your health and can freeze pipes. Don’t overwork your heating system. Close blinds or cover your windows with blankets as an extra layer of protection against icy night winds. But open them during the day so sunlight can help heat your home. Clear radiators, registers, air returns and baseboards of obstructions. Dust, carpet and furniture can block the heat and leave a room chilly. You can’t heat your home if the air isn’t circulating. Reduce the drafts. This bitter cold is an opportunity to pinpoint drafts in your home. Your hardware store can provide the materials to seal those leaks, but CUB Communications Director Jim Chilsen told Rockford TV station WTVO that consumers can improvise if necessary during extreme weather situations like this. For example, if you don’t have a door guard or sweep to block cold air under your front and back doors, use a rolled up towel or rug to block the drafts. Clean or replace filters for a forced-air heating system. A dirty or non-functioning filter does nothing but drain money from your wallet. Check it every month—and now is a great time to clean or replace it if it’s dirty. Beware of bad deals. If your gas or electric bill is skyrocketing, check to see if you’re paying for a bad deal with an alternative supplier. Look if there’s another company listed on the supply section of your utility bill. Inquire about assistance. Extreme cold has led to frozen natural gas wells in other states, and the limits on supply along with increased demand may cause elevated gas prices in weeks to come. Homes that can’t afford their heating bills should contact the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to see if they qualify for assistance: 1-877-411-9276. Check on your neighbors. Make sure your neighbors are OK. KeepWarm.Illinois.gov has information on where Illinoisans can find warming centers. For more tips on staying safe and practicing energy efficiency in cold weather, read our recent blog, “Worst cold snap in two years—tips […]

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