• Lower the thermostat 2 degrees or more in the winter.
• Change your furnace filter monthly during the heating season.
• If you have central air conditioning change the filter in the summer, too.
• Keep obstructions away from the hot and cold air registers.
• Lower the water heater temperature.
• Replace light bulbs with high efficient florescent light bulbs.
• Unplug secondary refrigerators and / or freezers not fully used.
• Wash and dry full loads of laundry. Hang clothes out to dry when possible.
• Clean dryer lint filter after each load.
• Turn lights off when leaving a room.

Combustion Appliances

Keep items, especially any that could catch on fire, away from the furnace and water heater.

Unvented combustion appliances including generators or space heaters (unvented wall furnaces or water heaters) using propane, fuel oil, kerosene, natural gas, charcoal, or wood give off various dangerous combustion gases including carbon monoxide (CO). Since these gases are not properly vented to the outside of the house unvented heaters are dangerous.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no taste, no color and no smell. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by burning any fuel. Any combustion appliance in your home is a potential source of CO.

When your combustion appliances are kept in good working condition, they will produce a small amount of CO. Improperly operating combustion appliances can produce fatal amounts of CO in your home.

Using unvented space heaters, burning charcoal indoors, or running a car in a garage can also cause CO poisoning.

Many of the initial symptoms of CO are similar to the flu (without the fever).

• Dizziness

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Nausea

• Irregular breathing

• Confusion

While most of us know that high levels of CO are deadly, what is less known is that CO is a cumulative poison. Lower levels of CO, over a period of time, can cause persistent symptoms. The harmful effects of carbon monoxide exposure depend on both the concentration of CO in the air and length of exposure.

CO builds up in the bloodstream where it combines with blood hemoglobin. CO replaces the oxygen in the bloodstream until there is too little oxygen in the bloodstream to support life.

Be aware that when family members suffer from flu-like symptoms that improve when they leave the home for extended periods, CO poisoning may be the cause.

• Rusting or water streaking on vent or chimney
• Loose or missing furnace panel
• Disconnected return duct work
• Cold Air / return duct open in furnace area
• Soot or debris anywhere around the vents, chimney, chimney cap, furnace, water heater, stove, space heater, or fireplace.
• Loose or disconnected vent / chimney connections
• Loose masonry on chimney
• Moisture on the interior side of windows

• Internal appliance damage or malfunctioning components
• Improper burner adjustments
• Blockage or damage inside chimneys

The most important steps are preventive ones. Never use unvented combustion appliances for heating. Have a qualified service professional inspect your combustion appliances at least once a year. Install an electric or battery powered CO ALARM. TRUST YOUR ALARM, if it indicates a carbon monoxide problem, have your home thoroughly investigated until the CO source is found.