JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A spokesperson for JEA said the city-owned utility is closely monitoring the weather, with forecasts calling for a severe cold front with temperatures dropping to subfreezing levels Saturday through Monday.
JEA crews are prepared to respond to any outage or system issue that might occur, the spokesperson said.
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Working alongside partners who are also preparing for freezing temps across Florida, JEA has its facilities prepared and is managing fuel supplies carefully.
JEA wants to share the following advice for customers to prepare their homes for the extreme cold:
Protecting Your Pipes
- Drip outside faucets in a steady stream to prevent pipes from freezing.
- Let water drip slowly from inside faucets, both hot and cold.
- Wrap any exposed pipes and backflow preventers located outside or in unheated areas.
- If a washing machine is in an unheated room such as a garage, disconnect both the hot and cold water lines. Place both in the drain pipe behind the washing machine. Drip both faucets at a steady stream.
- Know the locations of water shutoff valves and sewer clean-outs.
- See video below on protecting pipes in a freeze:
Energy Conservation
Heating accounts for up to 50% of a typical home’s energy consumption. During these extreme conditions, JEA recommends:
- Set your thermostat to 68°F or lower and only adjust 1-2 degrees at a time to avoid activating heat strips, which are costly to run. Set your thermostat even lower at night and when you’re away.
- Consider using space heaters in occupied spaces while turning down the thermostat to avoid the costs of heating your entire home. Keep safety in mind: Never leave a space heater unattended, on while sleeping or close to flammable items. Make sure the space heater has “tip-over protection.”
- Seal drafts around windows and doors to keep cold air out.
- Open blinds and curtains during daylight hours
- Consider bundling up in sweatshirts, sweaters and/or blankets to stay warm.
- Find more cold weather tips at jea.com/winter
JEA knows that dealing with extreme cold likely means more energy use for customers, who could face some sticker shock when they receive their next bill.
The utility shared the following payment options to help with higher bills:
- JEA MyBudget: A levelized payment program that takes a rolling average of your last 12 bills so that your monthly payment will be about the same every month. Learn more
- Payment Extensions and Arrangements: These tools give customers more time to pay their balance due. Payment extensions push out a customer’s due date, while payment arrangements allow customers to pay their balance due over monthly installments. Learn more
- Access to Community Resources: We can point the way to third-party groups that offer utility bill assistance. Learn more