Cold weather requires efficiency at home

As temperatures dip below freezing, NW Natural reminds area residents of ways they can save even more on their home heating bills.

“Our customers already save more than 60 percent on their energy bills by choosing to heat their homes with natural gas instead of using an oil or electric furnace,” said Dawn Johnson, NW Natural public information officer. “They can shrink energy costs even further with energy-efficiency improvements.”

Here are five steps customers can take towards big savings:

• 1. Have natural gas appliances and vents inspected by a qualified, licensed contractor annually

• 2. Clean furnace filters at least four times during the heating season

• 3. Turn down the thermostat when away from home to trim heating costs 3 percent for every degree drop

• 4. Seal air leaks and add insulation to save up to 20 percent on heating costs

• 5. Consider upgrading to high-efficiency windows to reduce heating costs up to 15 percent

For help customizing and managing home energy-saving efforts, customers can log into NW Natural’s online Energy Analyzer at https://www.nwnatural.com/Residential/SaveEnergyAndMoney/EnergyAnalyzerTool. The tool makes it possible to plan efficiency projects based on how much time and money they want to invest and to track actual savings online.

NW Natural also connects customers with programs to offset the cost of energy-saving improvements. For details, visit https://www.nwnatural.com/Residential/SaveEnergyAndMoney.

NW Natural also reminds area residents to “Smell. Go. Let us know.’’ If you smell rotten eggs, it may be a gas leak. Leave the area on foot then call the NW Natural emergency number at (800) 882-3377.

NW Natural is headquartered in Portland and provides natural gas service to about 700,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest.

Additional information is available at www.nwnatural.com.