In honor of National Electrical Safety Month, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) urges consumers to become more knowledgeable about electrical safety during and after weather disasters.

"After severe weather is gone, electrical hazards can still cause deaths and injuries,"noted Brett Brenner, ESFI president. ESFI warns consumers to beware of electrical dangers associated with downed power lines, portable electric generators and electrical wiring or appliances that have been wet.

These precautions can help keep you and your family safe from electrical hazards during and after disasters:

• Take care when stepping into flooded areas—whether indoors or out. Submerged outlets, electrical cords and downed power lines can energize water, posing a lethal trap..
• Stay away from downed power lines and anything touching them
• If you see someone who is in contact with a downed power line, do not touch the person. You could become the next victim. Instead, call 911.
• Do not drive over downed power lines.
• Have portable electric generators installed by licensed electricians to ensure it meets local electrical codes and is properly grounded
• Keep the generator dry and do not operate it in enclosed or partially enclosed areas.
• Generators can produce high levels of deadly carbon monoxide very quickly; consider using a carbon monoxide detector.
• Do not use electrical wiring or equipment that has been wet. A qualified service repair dealer should recondition electrical equipment; a licensed electrician can inspect electrical systems.
• If outdoors during electrical storms, move to a low point. Stay away from metal items, including sports equipment, buildings, clotheslines, poles and fences. Avoid trees.
• Don't forget pets during thunderstorms. Doghouses are not safe from lightning. Chained animals can easily become victims of lightning.

For more safety tips, visit www.electrical-safety.org or call 703-841-3229.

Before you leave home in the morning, you run through a mental checklist: Keys? Check! Lights? Check! Blinds? Check!

There may be something you are missing that could be important to your family's safety. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, most Americans have never thought about running through a checklist that could save them from electrocution or electrical fire: an electrical safety checklist.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. As its sponsor, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) has created a free, downloadable checklist covering electrical issues that may arise inside your home.

Covering every room from the kitchen to the basement, the checklist guides you through your home's electrical systems via a series of questions and suggested action items. Do your lights flicker when you turn on the vacuum cleaner? Engage a licensed electrician to determine if your home has enough electrical circuits. Are you protected from electrocution that can result from electricity interacting with water? Conduct a monthly test of the ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in the kitchen and bathroom.

To download this handy pdf checklist, go to www.esfi.org/home/indoor.pdf .

TXU Electric Delivery recently announced a year-long initiative to help the public avoid electrical injuries by keeping safety information in the spotlight throughout the new year. Electrical safety tips appropriate to the various seasons will be released publicly at least monthly.

"As our lifetime theme indicates, the value of electrical safety has no boundaries," said Rob Trimble, president and chief operating officer, Electric Delivery company. "It applies every day through every season of the year and is equally vital to children and seniors and everyone in between."

Tips for this month focus post-holiday safety, especially for kids with new electronic toys.

• Be sure that any new electric-powered plug-in toys bear the seal of United Laboratories or another recognized certification specialist.
• Teach children not to carry electrical toys and products by the cord.
• For older children, teach the right way to unplug an electrical product by holding the plug not the cord.
• For younger children, install childproof electric outlets in your home.

"With more than a century of experience delivering power to homes and businesses in Texas, we are proud to pass along our expertise to help keep you and your family safe. Electric Delivery is pleased to sponsor this public awareness campaign on behalf of our employees, who put safety first every day, and the communities in Texas we are privileged to serve," said Trimble. "We urge everyone to memorize these tips and apply them every day at home and at work. You may be surprised at how many you haven't thought about."

We posted about the new warning system for the condition of state's power grid last month. Due to the continuation of high temperatures throughout the state, the alert has stayed primarily on yellow indicating that conservation is needed.

On yellow days, extra conservation measures are urged because of a chance that electricity shortages may occur during the peak usage hours. A Yellow Alert will be declared for days where temperatures statewide are expected to be extremely hot, leading to record or near-record electricity consumption. The Yellow Alerts are also declared if some combination of unexpectedly high electricity demand and unexpected outages of power plants occur and cause a greater than normal chance of shortages. Consumers are encouraged to reduce their electricity use as much as possible during the peak electricity usage hours from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Tips to follow during Yellow Alerts include turning off all unnecessary lights and electronic equipment. If you are home during the peak period, close blinds and drapes that get direct sun, set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, and use fans to cool the air. PowerfulAdvice also suggests not using your dishwasher, laundry equipment, hair dryers, coffee makers, or other home appliances during those peak hours, and setting your pool pump to run in the early morning or the evening.

Visit the PowerfulAdvice alert page for more energy saving suggests and to see the current alert status.

TXU Energy announced this week that they are committing $300,000 to Dallas and Tarrant County communities to assist them in preparing for special heat-emergency programs. An extension of TXU Energy's "Check on Your Neighbor" program that assists customers during the summer's high temperatures, the money will go toward providing services such as cooling-off shelters in recreation centers, overnight shelters, an emergency hotline, transportation to shelters and provision of fresh water and ice.

"We are in the midst of a typical hot Texas summer, and our friends and neighbors will rely upon us for help during these 100-plus degree days," said Zach Thompson of Dallas County Health and Human Services. "It's through programs like TXU's Energy Aid and donations from companies like TXU Energy that we are able to provide these needed services."

TXU Energy made a commitment in 2004 to provide $15 million over three years to assist families who have difficulties paying their electric bills. Additionally, TXU Energy made another commitment to provide up to $25 million in discounts for low-income customers during all of 2006. In 2005, TXU Energy donated more than $2.9 million in TXU Energy Aid funds to selected service agency partners in Dallas County and Tarrant County.

As Texas continues to set records for electricity usage, the state's Public Utility Commission launched PowerfulAdvice, a new Web-based color-coded warning system to alert Texans about the current condition of the state's power grid.

The system uses three color codes green, yellow and red to signify the state's increasing demand for electricity and the likelihood of an electricity emergency.

Green Days
No electricity emergency is likely, but normal conservation measures are recommended.

Yellow Days
Extra conservation measures are urged because of a chance that electricity shortages may occur during the peak usage hours.

Red Days
Conservation is critical because there is a higher probability of involuntary outages during the peak hours of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to prevent uncontrolled rolling blackouts.

PUC is already calling for more conservation this week by declaring a yellow conservation alert in anticipation of more record electricity demand.

"PowerfulAdvice is a helpful tool for Texas electric customers as we face the hot summer," says PUC Chairman Paul Hudson. "Customers can get money-saving advice and help ensure a sufficient electricity supply for our growing state."

Click here to learn more about PowerfulAdvice and PUC's tips for conserving energy.

Worried about your electricity service during the latest cold front? TXU Electric Delivery says it is ready for whatever Texas weather has in store.

"We are monitoring the weather and adjusting our workforce requirements based on what we believe we will experience," said Rob Trimble, president and chief operating officer, TXU Electric Delivery. "This includes everything from holding over crews, calling in more crews and mobilizing troubleshooters as necessary. Contractors and other utilities that are not experiencing cold weather are also available to assist if needed. This is our normal approach to winter storms."

TXU Electric Delivery crews weatherized company trucks and cold-weather equipment in anticipation of freezing temperatures. Diesel trucks with plug-in heaters will be ready to roll, along with four-wheelers and four-wheel drive trucks in rural areas. Employees will be dressed for safety and comfort wearing thermal clothing and weather slickers designed to protect them during work on electrical circuits.

"We are very proud of our crews," said Trimble, "They have been honored with the Edison Electric Institute's 'Emergency Assistance' award in recognition for their tremendous efforts in helping to restore power in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Their professionalism, rapid response, productivity and attention to safety set the standard for the industry."

The subsidiary of TXU also has some good cold-weather tips for Texas residents:

• Stay away from downed power lines and call 9-1-1.
• If your power goes out, don't assume the electric company knows—call the phone number on your electric bill.
• Power is restored first to those critical emergency services like police, fire and hospitals, then to the largest number of residential and business customers.
• Don't touch objects that are in contact with a power line. That includes tree limbs.