Tips For Safe and Festive Holiday Decorating

This article was submitted by National Grid.

National Grid is reminding its customers about the importance of safety around the holidays, especially with holiday orientated lights and decorations. As we move deeper into the season of cold weather, National Grid would also like to share some energy saving tips so that customers can benefit from a more environmentally friendly, safe and cost-effective way to save money and celebrate this holiday season. 

Decorating Safely

• Avoid Overhead Lines -- Overhead power lines are NOT insulated and carry enough energy to cause serious injury or even death.  Never use an aluminum ladder within 10 feet of power lines, and keep yourself and holiday decorations at least 10 feet away from residential electric lines and equipment.
• Approved Lighting -- Make sure your lights have a safety listing from a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as the Underwriters Laboratories (UL).  A safety approval seal means the lights have been tested and are safe to use.  Use lights only as intended. Always unplug your lights before going to bed or leaving home.
• Outdoor Connections -- Plug outdoor lights into Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, which are available at hardware and electrical supply stores.  If there is an electrical fault with a light string, GFCIs will automatically shut off the electricity well before any electric shock could occur.  Also, cover outdoor plugs and connector joints with a water-resistant layer of plastic wrap and electrical tape.
• Christmas Trees -- If you have an artificial tree, make sure it’s been tested for flammability by the Underwriters Laboratories.  To prevent electrical shock, never use electric decorations on artificial trees with metallic needles, leaves or branches.  Instead, place colored spotlights above or beside the tree—never attached to it. Keep your natural tree well-watered to prevent bulbs from igniting dry branches.  Keep extension cords and light sets away from the tree stand.
• Don’t Overload -- Don’t overload your electric circuits.  Check your fuse or breaker panel to see how much your home can handle and stay well within limits.
• Avoid Shock -- Make sure there’s a bulb in each socket.  If a bulb has burned out, leave it in until you have a replacement.

National Grid has a 20-year track record of partnering with its customers to provide successful, award-winning efficiency programs in its U.S. service territory. These programs have helped save customers nearly 565 million therms of natural gas, representing approximately $876 million in savings on their heating bills. To find out more about the energy efficiency programs in your area, including details of potential incentives and forms for installing additional energy efficiency measures, visit National Grid’s energy efficiency website atwww.powerofaction.com/efficiency

NATIONAL GRID

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up’.

In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country. 

National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

For more information please visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com. 

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