Getting Through A Power Outage -- Before, During And After

Losing your electrical power during the winter is no joke, as subzero temperatures can be potentially life-threatening. That’s why it’s smart to take proactive steps before, during and after a power outage. Before any more time goes by, be sure to:

• Load your flashlights and portable radios with fresh batteries.
• Keep your cell phone chargers in a central location.
• Prepare an emergency heating source so your family can huddle and keep warm in at least one area, such as around a gas-burning fireplace in the family room. In this case, be sure to have plenty of firewood cut and ready to burn, too.
• Apply caulk and weatherstripping to doors and windows and cover windows with insulating plastic.
• Wrap pipes in insulation jackets or old towels to keep them from freezing.
• Set your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest settings if the power goes out, keeping in mind that food can stay cold in a refrigerator for 24 hours, and for 48 hours in a freezer.
• Practice manually opening your electric garage door.

If your power does go out, be sure to:

• Put on several layers of lightweight clothing. Cover your head — as most of your body heat is lost through your head — and wear a scarf and mittens, which insulate your fingers better than gloves.
• Seek medical help at signs of frostbite, including losing feeling in the extremities, or hypothermia, including disorientation, slurred speech and drowsiness.

Once the power outage is over:

• Do not touch downed or hanging electrical wires around your property, as they could be live,
• Do not touch anything that the wires may be touching, such as a fence or playground set.
• Call your utility company to report problems.

After that phone call, call us at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We will be happy to inspect your home and property and help create calm after the storm.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about power outages and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Paschal Heating, Air & Geothermal services Northwest Arkansas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!