With temperatures expected to be near or below freezing tonight, MLGW reminds its customers that blocking outside air from entering your home will help you save on your energy costs. "Anywhere there are cracks around doors or windows is a place where you are losing energy," said MLGW Energy Doctor Janice Smythe-Tune. "Using a wrapped up towel at the bottom of doors where you feel a draft can help you keep the heated air in and save energy."

MLGW also suggests customers keep their thermostats no higher than 68 degrees during the winter months. Tune suggests lowering the temperature even more at night and adding extra blankets to stay warm. Here are some other things to do to prepare your house for the winter cold:
 

• Use space heaters to heat specific rooms of your home where you live. This allows you to keep your thermostat at a lower temperature for the unoccupied areas of your house.
• Be sure to use space heaters safely. Do not place them near furniture, curtains or anything else that may catch fire. Also, do not use them at night where they may fall over unnoticed.
• Turn both the hot and cold water on to a slow drip in order to prevent pipes from freezing. Also open cabinet doors to allow heated air to flow around the exposed pipes.
• Place weather protection covers over your outside faucets to prevent freezing.
  
  MLGW is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County. A 2007 survey of large metropolitan areas showed that MLGW has the sixth lowest combined rates in the nation.