ComEd Offers Winter Tips to Stay Warm and Save

CHICAGO , Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- As cold weather approaches, ComEd offers customers cost-effective ways to make their homes more energy-efficient for winter weather while better managing energy bills year-round.

• Have home heating systems cleaned and inspected by a professional each year to ensure safety and optimum efficiency. Be sure to change the filter prior to the heating season, and check its condition monthly.
• Inspect the caulking and weather-stripping around all windows, doors and any openings for utility services. Replace caulking and weather-stripping as necessary. A drafty house lets warm air escape and is much more costly to keep warm.
• Remove window air conditioners if possible, or install an air conditioner cover to eliminate drafts.
• Keep fireplace dampers closed tightly when not in use.
• Reverse the rotation of ceiling fan blades. During the winter, blades should spin so the warm air that has risen can be re-distributed around the room.
• Switch to more energy-efficient lighting, such as CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs), which use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

"Energy conservation doesn't have to be expensive or complicated," said Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd president and COO. "ComEd offers simple, low-cost steps that will produce annual savings for customers."

For additional energy saving tips and information on any of these programs, customers may visit www.ComEd.com/SmartIdeas or call ComEd Smart Ideas at 1-888-806-2273.

For the holiday season, ComEd also suggests customers replace traditional holiday lights with LED versions that consume up to 70 percent less energy. LED lights last up to 10 times longer are safer since they produce less heat and remain cool to the touch.

ComEd is offering an instant $2 rebate on each set of LED holiday lights purchased through ComEd's Online Energy Store now through Dec. 31. This rebate is in addition to the usual 20 percent discount on energy efficient products available through the Online Energy Store www.comed.com.

All ComEd customers seeking energy assistance payments for the winter season may begin applying for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds. The application period for all customers began Nov. 1 and will continue through Apr. 30, or until funds are exhausted.

LIHEAP funds come in the form of a one-time credit on customers' energy bills. Households with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for LIHEAP support. For instance, a family of four with a monthly gross income of $2,756 or less qualifies for LIHEAP assistance.

To apply for LIHEAP, contact one of the local administering agencies across ComEd's service territory. In Chicago and suburban Cook County, the number to call is 312-456-4100. Customers can also find the nearest local administering agency by visiting www.liheapillinois.com or www.ComEd.com.

Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd