December Energy Tips

Light your holidays safely & wisely

Here's a head start on tips to help you avoid injury from holiday light displays:

• Check every electrical decoration carefully for cracked or frayed wiring and loose connections. If a light strand is damaged, don't take chances. Toss it out.
• When you put up lights, don't nail or staple through the electrical cords. You could crack the insulation around the wiring. This could lead to shock or electrical fire.
• If you're using extension cords with your outdoor decorations, make sure they are rated for outdoor use and are plugged into an outlet with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter.
• Be wary buying brand new light sets sold extra cheap at places like flea markets. Sometimes these are knock-offs of quality brands and come from places like China with bogus UL markings.
• When you put up outdoor decorations, avoid stringing lights in trees near power lines.
• Don't run cords under rugs, carpets or baseboards. This creates a fire hazard.
• Never leave your decorations lighted while you're away or after you have gone to bed.
• Unplug light strings before replacing bulbs or fuses.
• Don't overload outlets or extension cords for holiday lights. And don't string together more than three strands of mini-lights with push-in bulbs.