SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season tomorrow, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers the following energy-saving tips to help customers save energy and money.

No-cost Energy Saving Tips:

• When using your furnace, set your heating thermostat at 68 degrees or lower during the day, health permitting. Set your thermostat at 55 degrees for the night, or when you will be away for more than four hours. Turn the furnace off when away for two or more days.
• Open curtains, drapes and blinds on sunny days to help warm your home during the winter. Close them at night to help retain heat in your home.
• Close the damper when not using the fireplace and turn your heater down when using your fireplace.
• Wash only full loads in the dishwasher and use the energy saver, air-dry cycle.
• Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees or 140 degrees if you have a dishwasher.
• Wash and dry only full loads in the clothes washer and dryer. Wash clothes in cold water.
• Cook on range-top burners when practical instead of in the oven.
• Use the microwave for reheating and cooking small quantities of food.
• Use the self-cleaning oven feature only when necessary and start the self-cleaning cycle immediately after the oven is used to take advantage of pre-existing heat.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room and turn off televisions, computers and other electronics when not in use.
• Turn off holiday lights before going to bed and when you're away.

Low-cost Energy Saving Tips:

• Install an ENERGY STAR® programmable thermostat to prevent unnecessary heating.
• Inspect, clean or change your heating system's air filters once a month.
• Wrap your water heater with a water heater blanket, especially if it's in an unheated area of your home.
• Install energy-saving showerheads and faucets in your home.
• Add weather stripping around windows and doors to reduce drafts.
• To reduce air leaks, use caulking to seal around ducts, around plumbing openings and any other openings in walls, floors and ceilings.
• Replace incandescent holiday lights with LED holiday lights.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)