TOPEKA, Kan. – On the morning of Feb. 15, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. met with Kansas utility officials and community leaders about the recent spike in natural gas and propane prices and it’s impact on communities and residents. Prolonged and extreme cold temperatures across much of the Midwest have contributed to a high demand for natural gas and propane, and is pushing prices to more than 100-times their average costs.
“I appreciate the dedication of officials in Kansas to ensuring our businesses and residents have the natural gas and propane needed to continue powering their homes and businesses through this cold weather,” said Senator Marshall. “We will be doing all we can at the federal level to confirm no foul play or price gouging has occurred and continue to support our utility companies and community leaders as they work diligently to keep Kansans warm. In the meantime, I urge my fellow Kansans to do everything they can to conserve energy and keep energy costs low.”
Utility companies and community leaders are asking all Kansans to conserve energy and keep their bills low by doing the following:
Try to keep warm, not hot by layering and wearing more clothes and consider turning down your thermostat and check your programmable settings.
Seal leaks around doors and windows to stop air entering and prevent energy loss. You can also cover windows with towels, sheets, foam or plastic to keep more warm air in your house.
To save more, set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting. If you won’t be home for two days or more, set the dial to the pilot setting to save even more.
Close blinds and curtains, to help keep warm air inside. If the sun is shining, open the blinds and curtains to let the sun warm your home naturally.
Clean furnace air filters can lower energy consumption by 5% to 15%, whereas a dirty filter can overwork the equipment and cost more to use.
Hold off on doing laundry and washing dishes if possible. Since both can use natural gas to heat the water and your dryer, your energy costs could increase. If you must do these chores try using the cold settings if possible.
Installing foam gaskets on electrical switches and outlets can reduce up to 10% of your home’s energy loss.
