Safety tips and conservation advice can be found at entergy-neworleans.com

New Orleans – With customers likely to crank up their gas heaters to battle the cold, Entergy New Orleans, Inc. wants to pass along a few gas safety tips and conservation measures to help those customers use their energy more safely and efficiently.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Melonie Hall, director of customer service for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. “Entergy works hard to ensure safe, reliable service for our customers every day. Some people may have recently turned on their gas heaters for the first time, so we want to make sure that everyone operates their heating systems as safely as possible.”

Gas Safety Tips:

• Have a licensed professional thoroughly check your heat exchanger, flues and vents regularly associated with gas heating equipment.

• Clean or replace filters regularly before they become clogged with dirt. Install new filters per the manufacturer's instructions.

• Maintain your pipes and check your chimney associated with gas fireplaces. The chimney should be examined annually and cleaned regularly by a professional.

• Customers should not use candles or other flammable devices to warm their homes.

• Customers whose gas service has been inactive for over six months require an inspection and permit from the City of New Orleans Safety and Permits Office. By law, Entergy cannot restore these services until the appropriate approval is received from the City.

• Customers can visit entergyneworleans.com for more important gas safety tips

If a customer loses gas service or smells gas in the home, Entergy offers the following gas safety guidelines:

• Customers who smell natural gas or suspect a gas leak should immediately call 1-800-ENTERGY (before doing so, customers should step outside of the home as using a telephone could ignite a spark)

• Open windows, top and bottom, to let gas escape.

• Refrain from using devices that might create a spark, such as light switches, flashlights, electric garage door openers and even computers.

• Check the pilot light of gas appliances (furnace, range, water heater, etc.)

• Do not try to re-light a pilot light that is out.

• Leave the premises.

Taking Steps to Conserve

Now is also an ideal time to make some simple home adjustments to ensure winter chills stay outside. Entergy New Orleans offers these tips to keep warm and help customers better manage their energy bill:

Heating can account for as much as 55 percent of your monthly electric bill. Setting the thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter is an easy way to reduce how much energy you use. Every degree above 68 on the thermostat can increase your bill by about three percent.

Wall seams and places where electrical, plumbing or heating systems penetrate your home should be sealed. Additionally, weather-strip the attic hatchway and install insulating gaskets on all electrical outlets and switches.

Other tips to conserve energy include:

• Wrap the water heater and the pipes going into and out of the tank with insulation (please consult the retailer and/or manufacturer instructions before installing).

• Open drapes to let in solar heat during the day. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.

• Check air conditioning or furnace filters every 30 days. Clean or replace them as needed.

• Do not block heat registers or air returns with curtains or furniture.

• Keep all doors and windows closed when the heat is on.

• Close the damper on fireplaces when not in use.

• Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees if away from home for several days.

Customers can find answers to a variety of energy-related topics, including what goes into energy costs and what Entergy New Orleans is doing to ensure affordable energy in the future, at EntergyNewOrleans.com/savemoney. The web site also offers a series of easy to use tips that can help customers lower their monthly energy bills.

Entergy New Orleans, Inc. is an electric and gas utility serving Orleans Parish and is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. The company provides electricity to more than 160,000 customers and natural gas to more than 100,000 customers in Orleans Parish.

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Twitter: @EntergyNOLA