News Release > Entergy Texas Enters Fall with Safety Reminder
For Immediate Release
September 23, 2024
These simple tips will help you prevent accidents and injuries
The Woodlands, Texas – While the warm weather is still here, cooler weather is on the way. This time of year also brings opportunities for customers to tackle home improvement and landscaping projects. While these activities can be fun and rewarding, no one wants them to lead to accidents or injuries. Entergy Texas is offering some helpful tips to help you stay safe this fall.
Staying safe outdoors
Halloween season brings kids the joy of wearing costumes, enjoying candy, and attending fall festivals and carnivals. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips to help kids celebrate safely. Prepare your home to welcome trick-or-treaters safely by checking outdoor lighting and making sure walkways and stairs are well-lit and free of tripping hazards. Extension cords should be specifically designated for outdoor use. Use rubber gaskets on light bulb sockets or hang sockets facing down to prevent water from getting in. Be sure to turn off outdoor lights and decorations when you are away from home or sleeping. Help kids learn about safety with videos, activities, and other resources.
Safety First for Home Projects
Fall is the perfect time to tidy up and prepare your home for winter. When clearing leaves and branches or pruning trees, always use caution and be aware of overhead power lines. Position your ladder away from overhead power lines to prevent pruning branches from falling onto them. If a fall does occur, always assume that the fallen line is live and call 1-800-ENTERGY for help.
If your fall tidying up includes digging up flower beds, trees or shrubs, be sure to call before digging. Calling 811 before digging helps ensure your safety and prevents interruptions to utility services to your neighborhood.
When performing maintenance work indoors or outdoors that requires a ladder, always wear appropriate footwear, place the ladder on a level surface, and have a supervising person nearby.
Daylight saving time ends on November 3rd
When daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 3, shorter daylight hours will make it harder to see children on school buses in the mornings and evenings. When driving, avoid distractions and keep an eye out for children in your neighborhood. The National Association for Pupil Transportation offers additional tips to help get children to and from school safely.
When you set your clocks back one hour, please check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Every home should have carbon monoxide detectors to identify this colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious illness or death.
Stay safe and warm indoors
Candles add a warm atmosphere to autumn evenings, but remember that it’s never safe to leave candles unattended without a flame – a small splash or errant flame can cause a fire in an instant.
Use space heaters with caution: They use a lot of energy and pose a fire hazard, so they should be placed at least 3 feet away from curtains, rugs and furniture. Homeowners with gas or electric furnaces should also schedule service by a certified technician to ensure they are operating safely and at their most efficient.
Wood stoves and fireplaces bring warmth and coziness to any room, but they must be used with care and proper preparation. Before you light your first fire, have a professional sweep your chimney. Fallen leaves, animal nests, and other debris can cause smoke to leak into your home instead of outdoors, which can cause a fire.
To ensure your HVAC unit operates efficiently in any season, don’t forget to replace dirty air filters inside and remove debris from the unit’s exterior.
Be prepared for bad weather
Hurricane season continues through the end of November, so it’s important not to let your guard down even as temperatures start to drop. Make a plan, build a kit, and prepare for severe weather now.
Save money year-round with the Customer Invoice Toolkit
Entergy Texas’ Bill Toolkit provides ways for customers to manage their energy usage and get better control over their electric bills. From Entergy Solutions programs to customized bill payment options, the toolkit can help customers save money on their bills.
To learn more, visit BillToolkit.entergy.com to get the tools and resources you need to understand your bill, reduce your usage and explore available assistance programs and services.
About Entergy Texas
Entergy Texas provides electricity to approximately 512,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, a Fortune 500 electric utility. Entergy powers the lives of 3 million customers through its operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The company invests in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping communities transition to cleaner and more efficient energy solutions. Rooted in communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, the company has delivered more than $100 million in economic benefit to communities annually through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana and employs approximately 12,000 people. For the latest Entergy Texas news, visit our newsroom and follow @EntergyTX on social media.
