Be safe while heating your home

Are you staying safe as well as warm?

“Here in our neck of the woods, in Idaho, it’s cold, and you can’t go without heat – you’ll die if you do – so you have to have heat, but there are some forms of heat that are very dangerous,” said First Call Jewel owner Bob Bidsturp.

Bidsturp said one of the most dangerous is space heaters.

“There’s a lot of advertising saying that they’re going to save you a lot of money,” he said. “The fact is they won’t. It still uses the same electricity as any heater.”

Not only do they not save you money, there’s also a good chance that you will burn up your outlet by using them, and that could cause a fire.

If you must use a plug-in heater, make sure it’s only a temporary alternative

There are a few precautions you can take to stay safe and toasty this winter

Make sure you maintain your furnace by having a professional come and check it out at least once a year. The fall is great time to do this because it’s right before the cold weather comes.

Also, make sure to replace your filters every month

The holidays are coming up, and when it comes to decorating, just be aware of what you’re plugging in

“You just need to be smart about how they’re plugged in,” said Bidsturp. “You’ll see all kinds of wires plugged in there, and that can be just as dangerous.”

Bidstrup stressed that everyone needs to invest in a good carbon monoxide detector if they don’t already have one. He said that a decade ago it wasn’t as important, but now homes are more insulated and are more efficient at keeping heat inside, which means carbon monoxide can build up faster than ever before.