SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2013 – With the cold front sweeping across the nation, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is asking customers to conserve energy, both natural gas and electricity, to ensure that we have enough supply to get us through this cold weather. Extremely cold weather is forecasted for the Western portion of the U.S. this weekend and, as a result, natural gas supplies throughout Southern California are limited. 

Conserving electricity – as well as gas – is helpful because the local power plants are fueled by natural gas. The less electricity used, the less the demand on the natural gas supply.  SDG&E encourages the following conservation tips:

• Save up to 20 percent on heating costs by lowering your furnace thermostat by three to five degrees (health permitting)
• Install a programmable thermostat to help automatically regulate your home's temperature for comfort control and energy savings
• Keep your heating system tuned up to operate at maximum efficiency. Clean or replace furnace filters according to manufacturer recommendations and keep all heating vents and furnace registers free of dirt, lint and obstructions
• Caulk and weather-strip drafty windows and doors
• Open your drapes and shades during the day, allowing the sun to warm your house. Close them at night to limit the amount of heat that escapes
• Don’t heat your pool and spa
• Turn off unnecessary lights, hold off on doing laundry, running your dishwasher, etc.

We also encourage our customers to follow these important safety tips when heating their homes to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning:

• Never use your oven, range or outdoor barbecue to heat your home because these appliances are not designed for this purpose and can emit dangerous carbon monoxide
• Install a CO detector
• Change the batteries in your CO detectors

Symptoms of CO poisoning can include unexplained nausea, headaches, drowsiness, mental confusion and flu-like symptoms. If you suspect that you or a loved one is suffering from CO poisoning, call 911 immediately.

For more winter safety and savings tips, visit sdge.com/winter. 

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and 861,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.  Connect with SDG&E’s Customer Contact Center at 800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and Facebook.

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