Get in front of the first cold front with pilot lighting service

Interesting fact: When your body is cold your brain sends a signal to your muscles to tighten and loosen really fast to warm your body up. We know this as shivering and it’s not fun. You can keep yourself safe and shiver-free by following these tips before the first cold front hits our city. And, depending on what you consider cold, that could be Sunday or Monday when overnight temps are forecast to drop below 50 degrees for the first time this fall.

Staying Warm

We can make sure your natural gas furnace is ready for the heating season with our gas pilot lighting service.  We will light and adjust the pilots on your natural gas appliances, water heaters and furnaces for just $24 plus tax.

Here are some things to keep in mind before you contact us for an appointment:

• Any maintenance work must be scheduled with a privately licensed technician (HVAC and/or plumbing) before calling us.
• An additional fee may be assessed if you miss a scheduled appointment.
• If there is heavy accumulation of dust or the heating equipment is faulty, we will not light the pilot until the problem is corrected, which is the customer’s responsibility.*

Tip: appointments fill up quick, so schedule yours before the first cold snap. For more information or to schedule pilot lighting, use our online request form or call (210) 353-2222. (NOTE: this service is by request ONLY; if you receive a call or visit, it is not a legitimate CPS Energy employee)

Staying safe 

It stinks for your safety. Natural gas is naturally odorless. So CPS Energy adds a chemical/odorant – mercaptan – that smells similar to rotten eggs to help you identify when you have a gas leak. Here are two tips to keep you safe all winter long.

What to do if you smell gas

If you smell a gas leak inside your home or business, get out immediately. Don’t turn any electrical switches on or off, or use a flashlight or phone. An electric spark from any electric or battery-powered device, or even from static electricity, could ignite a gas leak and cause an explosion.

Once outside, call (210) 353-4357 (HELP) as soon as possible. Never try to locate the source of a gas leak yourself.

Protecting your family from the silent killer 

Never use a stove to heat your home. It can damage your appliance, or even produce dangerous and/or deadly carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide, often referred to as the silent killer because you can’t smell the fumes, is a poisonous gas, created when natural gas does not receive the proper amount of air as it burns. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and heart palpitations.

In the event of a carbon monoxide buildup, open doors and windows to ventilate the house, then leave as quickly as possible.

Also, please be sure to follow the maintenance tips we recently shared to make sure any detector or smoke alarm in your home is working.

Have a warm and safe fall!

*For your safety, if an appliance is determined not to be safe for operation during a pilot lighting visit, gas service to the appliance will be disconnected.