For a safe holiday season, APS offers the following tips:
- Before you string up a single strand of lights, carefully check them for cracked cords, frayed ends or loose connections. Don’t use any strands in this condition because even if they still light up, they are potential electrical hazards.
- Avoid stringing any outdoor lighting or electrical cords where water from irrigation or sprinklers may be present. This is not only a risk as they are displayed throughout the season, but can create dangerous conditions as you are installing electrical decorations.
- Use a dry wooden or fiberglass ladder – not a metal one – and be sure to stay away from overhead power lines.
- Turn off holiday lights before going to sleep or leaving the house unattended. Automatic timers are great for those who want to set and forget.
- Use more than one circuit to avoid overloading household wiring. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for the number of light strings that can be connected safely.
- Consider using LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights, which run much cooler than their traditional counterparts, are less of a fire risk and use much less energy. Browse LED lights on APS Marketplace.
- Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water and look for the "Fire Resistant” label when buying an artificial tree.
For more electrical safety tips, visit aps.com/safety.
APS serves nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering affordable, clean and reliable energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nation’s largest producer of carbon-free electricity, and with one of the country’s most substantial renewable energy portfolios, APS’s current energy mix is 50% clean. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).
