DENVER, Colo. – Feb. 15, 2021 - As current artic conditions continue to impact large sections of the country, Black Hills Energy is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the impact on homes and businesses is minimized.

“To date, our system has performed as intended. We have worked to ensure homes stay warm, but we need your help,” said Vance Crocker, vice president for Colorado utility operations at Black Hills Energy “There are steps you can take today to minimize the financial burden and reduce increased energy use generated by these frigid temperatures.”

Here are some tips to keep your family warm while the demand for energy is so high:

• If health concerns aren’t a factor, set your thermostat to 68 degrees in the winter and reduce it 2 to 3 degrees while you’re away from home or sleeping.
• Hold off on doing chores. Doing laundry or washing dishes can use energy to heat the water and your dryer. If you can, only wash full loads using cold water, air dry your clothes, or even better, wait until the extreme cold weather passes to complete these activities.
• Check your furnace filter – make sure it’s clean and properly installed facing the correct direction.
• Make sure your furnace vent, gas fireplace vent and tankless/conventional water heater vents are free from any obstructions or debris.
• Adjust your humidity. A well-humidified house at 68 degrees is as comfortable as a dry house at 75 degrees.
• Use kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans only as needed. In just one hour, these fans can exhaust a house full of warmed air.
• Reduce hot water usage. Use low-flow faucets and shower heads and take short showers instead of baths. Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees or put it on the “warm” setting.

Snow and ice buildup on your natural gas meter can create a safety hazard and even cut off the flow of natural gas to your heater and appliances. To avoid trouble, gently remove snow and ice on and around the meter with your hands or a broom.

Gas meters and regulators are durable and designed with the weather in mind, but a coating of ice or snow could cause a loss of service and become a critical safety issue. If at all possible, remove the snow before it has a chance to freeze.

• Gently clear snow away by hand or with a broom. You will put yourself and everyone nearby at serious risk if you strike and damage any part of the meter with a shovel, ice pick or other tool, and you could be liable for expensive damage.
• Keep snow blowers and shovels away from gas meters and other above-ground equipment.
• Carefully clear snow away from the outdoor vent on high-efficiency furnaces. The furnace cannot run safely and efficiently if the vent is blocked.
• Safely remove icicles hanging from overhead eaves that could fall and damage gas meters below.
• Point out the meter and any other above-ground utility structures to anyone you hire for snow removal. 

Black Hills Energy also realizes increased nationwide usage could result in higher bills, and there are a number of resources available to support customers:

• The easiest way for families to access emergency assistance funds is to call 211, and a representative will connect them with a utility assistance case worker in their area.
• Customers in the Black Hills Energy service territory are eligible for Black Hills Cares funds, a utility assistance program made possible by donations from fellow customers. The Black Hills Energy Foundation matches those donations at 100%. 
• The state Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) application period is currently open at 1-866-HEAT-HELP or via Colorado PEAK: www.colorado.gov/PEAK
• Budget Billing is a free, stable payment option offered by Black Hills Energy that makes bills more predictable by averaging the amount you pay each month so you can avoid spikes in a bill caused by seasonal anomalies.

“There has been widespread energy demand across the country, and our reliable system and team is ready to respond to the historic cold. We applaud and appreciate the businesses who have scaled down their energy usage to allow more capacity for homes. They’ve set a good example of steps we can all take to ensure we’re collectively resilient through this storm,” Crocker added.