PECO: Natural Gas Usage Hit All-Time High Last Week

Last week’s cold was record-breaking in another way.

We used a record-breaking amount of natural gas to heat our homes during last week’s brutal cold, PECO said Monday.

“On February 15, customer demand for natural gas totaled 777,456 thousand cubic feet (Mcf) and on February 19, natural gas demand totaled 766,365 Mcf, surpassing the previous all-time winter daily total of 759,660 Mcf set during the Polar Vortex on January 7, 2014,” PECO said in a statement.

At times last week it felt like -20 with the wind chill, and the brutal cold was blamed for at least five regional deaths.

See also:

• Bitter Cold Blamed for at Least 5 Deaths
• How to Keep Warm During the ‘Polar Plunge’
• How To Protect Your iPhone From The Cold This Winter
• How to Prevent and Deal With Frozen Pipes
• Power Outage? Here’s What to Do

The cold isn’t over, either. The low Monday night is -2, and will be in the single digits on Thursday and Friday.

PECO offers these tips for ensuring that your home is as energy-efficient as possible:

• Check for drafts around windows and doors, and seal up any openings with weather stripping or even a rolled-up blanket. A drafty house lets warm air escape and is much more costly to keep warm – especially on the coldest days of the season.
• Take advantage of natural sunlight. Open curtains and drapes during the day to let the sun warm your home and close them at night for insulation.
• Keep the fireplace damper closed tightly when not in use.
• Keep heating vents clean with a vacuum or broom and do not cover ducts with drapes or furniture that can block the airflow and possibly cause a fire.
• Use ceiling fans so the warm air that has risen can be redistributed around the room.
• Close off unoccupied rooms and regulate individual room temperatures by adjusting the registers. Adjust room registers so warm air flows across the floor and rises naturally.
• Keep your thermostat set at a constant, comfortable level, usually 68 to 70 degrees.
• And remember to turn off unnecessary lights and other electronics.