Safety tips for heating your home this winter

(11/12/14) - As the temperatures are cooling down, furnaces are heating up.

We want you to keep you and your family safe, and warm this winter. Here's some helpful safety tips from Consumer's Energy.

1. Furnaces should be inspected once a year using a qualified appliance service/heating and cooling professional.

2. Change air filters at least every other month (more often when pets are in the home) during the heating season.

3. Weather permitting, perform a visual inspection of the chimney and vent pipes to make sure they are free of obstructions such as leaves and nests.

4. Never use gas stoves or charcoal grills to heat homes. These appliances can produce dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide when used improperly.

5. Never leave a supplemental heater or fireplace unattended. Keep clothing, papers and other flammable items well away from gas appliances and supplemental heaters.

6. When using generators, make sure they are connected by a licensed electrician and only operated where there is adequate ventilation. Never use a generator in basement, enclosed garage, breezeway or near air intakes.

7. Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm that will sound if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide are present in a home or building.

Carbon monoxide is known as the "silent killer." According to Consumer's it's a tasteless, odorless, invisible gas "caused by the incomplete combustion of fuels like oil, propane, natural gas, coal, wood, kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel and charcoal." Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, fatigue or dizziness.

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Safety tips for heating your home this winter