Don’t let your holiday plans get derailed by energy safety issues.

“It just takes a small amount of time to take these safety precautions, and the benefits of avoiding injury are lifelong,” said Roger Hall, UNS Corporate Safety Manager.

Here are some tips to keep your holidays merry and bright, and importantly, safe.

• Don’t overload outlets or extension cords. Doing so creates a serious risk of fire.
• Use LED lights – which don’t generate as much heat as traditional lights – in all of your holiday decorating, but especially with live Christmas trees. This will also help you save money on your electric bill because LEDs use a fraction of the energy of incandescent bulbs.
• Check cords for signs of wear and damage as you hang up your holiday lighting. Discard any cords that are worn to avoid the risk of a fire due to an electrical short.
• Keep heat-producing appliances like toasters, space heaters and irons a minimum of three-feet from flammable items like fabric, live Christmas trees and paper. And never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Keep any gas-powered generators outside. They produce carbon monoxide, which can rise to deadly levels in closed spaces and cause injury or even death.
• Turn space heaters off when you go to sleep and exercise caution when using them near children and pets.
• Make arrangements to have your wood-burning fireplace cleaned and inspected by a qualified professional to ensure there is no potentially hazardous flammable build-up in the chimney.
• Avoid throwing wrapping paper into the fire. Wrapping paper can ignite suddenly, causing a flash fire.
• Inspect and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are functioning properly. Replace any old batteries.
• Turn off all holiday lighting, tree lights and space heaters when you’re asleep or away.

For more energy efficiency and safety tips, visit tep.com.