SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With cooler temperatures just around the corner, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is reminding customers to schedule a free in-home safety inspection of their gas appliances. Inspections help ensure that gas appliances, including water heaters, furnaces and ovens, are operating safely and efficiently. During the visit, PG&E will also relight pilot lights and check carbon monoxide detectors at no charge to the customer.

Properly installed and maintained natural gas appliances can significantly reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Center for Disease Control, every year in the U.S. at least 430 people die from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning and approximately 50,000 people will be sent to the hospital. If unsafe concentrations of carbon monoxide are present but not detected, the result can be fatal.

“Each year, we offer customers this service free of charge to help them prepare for the safe use of gas appliances during the colder months. As customers, we should take every precaution to make sure our homes and business are safe. Setting up a safety check with PG&E is easy and one way to maximize the efficiency of your in-home appliances and most importantly, to reduce risks of carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Jesus Soto, PG&E senior vice president of Gas Operations.

To help provide peace of mind and confidence in the safe use of their gas appliances, PG&E suggests that customers schedule an inspection by calling the customer helpline at 1-800-743-5000.

Helpful Winter Gas Safety Tips

• Install carbon monoxide detectors to warn when concentration levels are high.
  • As of 2011, all California single-family homes are required to have carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Make sure all carbon monoxide detectors are installed near sleeping areas and common areas.
  • Replace the batteries at least twice a year.
  • Check expiration dates – most carbon monoxide detectors have a shelf life of five to seven years.
• Never use products inside the home that generate dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, such as generators, outdoor grills, propane heaters.
• Never use cooking devices such as ovens or stoves for home heating purposes.
• When using the fireplace to stay warm, make sure the flue is open so venting can occur safely through the chimney.
• Make sure water heaters and other natural gas appliances have proper ventilation.
• Click here for more winter heating safety and savings tips.

If you suspect carbon monoxide in your home, you should get out immediately and call 911. If a PG&E customer ever smells the distinctive "rotten egg" odor of natural gas in or around their home or business they should immediately call 911 and PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

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Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company