Heat Your Home Safely, Avoid House Fires
When the weather gets cold and your home heating bill gets more expensive, it make sense to consider using fireplaces, wood-burning stoves and space heaters to stay warm.
Unfortunately, using alternative heating sources has resulted in a significant increase in home fires over the past few winters. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are 64,000 home heating fires annually in the United States, resulting in 540 deaths and 1,400 injuries.
And the problem may get worse as more Americans sacrifice home protection in an attempt to offset high home heating costs by using alternative heating sources.
Nationwide Insurance® recently commissioned a survey to discover what behavior causes these fires. The study showed:
- 29% of people who responded don't turn off their space heaters before going to bed
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13% use their oven to heat their home
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38% don't own carbon monoxide detectors
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11% use an extension cord with their space heaters
- 41% don't have their chimneys inspected every year
Any of these actions can result in a house fire, according to Bill Windsor, Nationwide's Safety Officer.
"While Americans are saving a lot of money using these alternative heating sources, they can be extremely dangerous," Windsor said. "But by taking a few simple precautions, your family can stay warm and stay safe."
Home heating safety resources from Nationwide
Use these home heating safety tips to keep your family warm and your home safe:
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Watch our home
heating safety tips video
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Learn 13 home
heating safety tips from Nationwide and the National Fire
Protection Association
- Read more about the Nationwide home safety survey (PDF)
Using alternative heating sources can be a great way to save money during the cold-weather months. Just be sure to follow these space heater safety and home heating safety tips to keep your family safe this winter.
