DAYTON – Dayton Power and Light (DP&L), a subsidiary of The AES Corporation, encourages its customers to be safe and weather aware as single-digit temperatures are in the forecast this week.

In a press release, DP&L said it is well-prepared to meet the increase in demand for electricity. As the temperatures continue to drop, here are some helpful safety and energy tips to consider.

Be safe at home:

• Always assume fallen or sagging electrical wires are live and dangerous. Report fallen lines online, or call 877-4OUTAGE.

• All supplemental sources of heat and portable generators must have proper ventilation, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.

• Gas and wood-burning fireplaces both emit carbon monoxide. Make sure you have a functioning carbon monoxide detector in your home to detect the odorless gas. Use caution and practice fire safety.

• If you use candles, be careful. Remember to keep them away from children and combustible materials and never leave candles unattended.

Prepare an outage emergency kit.

• Take precautions with your pets, limit time outside with the frigid temperatures.

• Be smart about energy use:

• Lower your thermostat, each degree above 68 degrees can add 3 percent to the amount of energy needed for heating.

• Open curtains and blinds during the day to let the warm sun in. Keep curtains and blinds closed at night to keep cold air out.

• Avoid using space heaters. They are expensive to operate and dangerous.

• Set ceiling fans to turn clockwise and run them on low speed to circulate warm air.

• Use energy efficient practices year-round to manage energy use and save money.

DP&L wants customers to be prepared, www.dpandl.com/winter offers for easy outage reporting, safety tips and recommendations on what to pack in your emergency outage kit. Follow DP&L on Twitter at @DPLToday where the company makes every effort to provide relevant, real-time outage updates.