Deck the halls safely with lighting decoration tips

Deck the halls safely with lighting decoration tips

Information Center > Deck the halls securely with lights decoration strategies

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11/16/2022

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Picture courtesy of Getty Visuals.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Image courtesy of Getty Pictures.

A several suggestions on how to properly embellish for the holiday seasons within and exterior your residence

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The holidays are ideal around the corner, which indicates most of us will soon grab bins of seasonal decorations out of storage. Though ‘tis the most wonderful time of the yr, Entergy Texas is sharing basic safety suggestions clients should consider when lighting their homes for getaway celebrations.  

Dazzling lights and seasonal candles are staples during the holidays, but it’s significant to notice that these decorations can be risky. In accordance to the Countrywide Fireplace Protection Association, nearly one particular in five Christmas tree fires began from ornamental lights, and eight {d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of tree fires commenced from candles.  

Place protection 1st this getaway year with a few basic reminders and safety measures when it will come to decorating inside and outside your dwelling. 

Within lighting: 

  • If applying a dwell tree, make sure it is contemporary and environmentally friendly with needles that are tricky to pull from the branches. 
  • Spot the tree in a stand with drinking water, perfectly absent from heaters or the fireplace. Verify drinking water everyday. 
  • Examine all lights right before placing them on the tree or applying them in other house decorations. Do not use lights with frayed wiring or loose sockets, and make sure they have been analyzed for safety by an impartial testing laboratory. 
  • For increased performance and protection, use smaller sized, great-burning LED lights. 
  • Make positive all gentle sockets have bulbs in them. Young children are fascinated by lights and could place their fingers in empty sockets. 
  • Retain bulbs from touching tree branches. Never ever melt away candles on or near the tree and hardly ever use flammable decorations. 
  • By no means use lights on a metallic tree. If the lights turn into faulty, the full tree could be electrified. 
  • Be cautious not to overload extension cords, outlets or even full circuits in the property. 
  • Transform off attractive lighting when you leave the space. 
  • Location wires the place they cannot trip anyone. Do not run them less than rugs. 

Outside lighting: 

  • Make sure the lights employed are selected for out of doors use. 
  • Use a non-conducting fiberglass or picket ladder when doing work with strings of lights. Also, stay clear of all overhead wires. 
  • Do not change bulbs when the electricity is on. 
  • Under no circumstances enable mild bulbs touch flammable resources these types of as plastic or dry grass and leaves.
  • For outside the house use, perform only with a few-wire grounded extension cords. 
  • Use rubber gaskets in gentle sockets or hold sockets downward to hold water out. 
  • Maintain connections and lights off the ground by hanging them more than wood stakes. Change outdoors holiday getaway lights off when away from home or asleep. 

For much more suggestions on how to apply lights and decoration protection throughout the vacation year, stop by the Countrywide Fire Defense Affiliation website. 

About Entergy Texas 
Entergy Texas, Inc. delivers electrical power to a lot more than 486,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Texas is a subsidiary of Entergy Company, a Fortune 500 firm headquartered in New Orleans. Entergy powers everyday living for 3 million shoppers via its running firms throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy is building a cleaner, more resilient strength upcoming for every person with our various power era portfolio, which include progressively carbon-totally free electrical power sources. With roots in the Gulf South area for a lot more than a century, Entergy is a regarded chief in company citizenship, providing more than $100 million in financial advantages to neighborhood communities by philanthropy and advocacy initiatives each year around the last a number of decades. Our around 12,000 workers are committed to powering everyday living today and for potential generations. For the most current information from Entergy, check out the Newsroom. 


Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

Six crucial tips to keep you, your family, and your home safe.
Tree On Fire

KENNEWICK, Wash. — December, January, and February are the most dangerous months for home fires as they occur more in winter than any other season, according to a Facebook post from the Walla Walla Fire Department. The U.S. Fire Administration said that cooking is the leading cause all year round, but during the winter season holiday decorations are also to blame. 

Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In December, candles were also the cause of 45{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of home decoration fires. (NFPA).

RELATED: Send in your Holiday Decorations for a chance to appear on KAPP KVEW

Here are the top 6 tips to follow to keep you, your family, and your home safe this holiday while enjoying your decorations. 

  1. Add water to your live tree daily (FEMA). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said a dried-out Christmas tree could simultaneously ignite in a flashover in less than one minute compared to a well-watered tree that burns much slower.
  2. Make sure your tree is at least three feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, vents, space heaters, etc.. (FEMA).
  3. Keep Candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns (FEMA) or use battery-operated flameless candles. The NFPA said, that three out of every five candle fires started because the flame was too close to a flammable object like furniture, bedding, curtains, or other decor.
  4. Replace any lights or string of lights that are worn down, broken, or loose (NFPA). It’s always important to read the manufacturer’s instructions and check the maximum wattage, especially when connecting multiple strings of lights together or in an extension cord. A good rule of thumb from the CPSC is, “do not use more than three three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.”
  5. Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed (American Red Cross).
  6. Don’t light the fireplace if you have stockings or decorations hanging on the mantel. (American Red Cross).

“Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in almost half of home Christmas tree fires.” –NFPA

Consumer Product Safety Commission also recommends that the holidays are a good time to review an emergency plan with your family if there is a fire in your home. Don’t forget to double-check all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as well. It’s always a good reminder for parents to keep lighters, candles, matches, breakable decorations, or any potential dangerous decorations away from children and pets. For additional holiday safety tips visit, click here.

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