Twelve tips to keep your home electrically safe

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JUNO BEACH, Fla., June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is raising awareness about electrical safety during June, which is designated as National Safety Month. The energy company is encouraging its customers to follow its top 12 tips to remain safe while using electricity.

"At FPL, we are committed to the safety of our customers, our employees and those working in the community," said Manny Miranda, senior vice president of Power Delivery for FPL. "Energy is essential to any home or business, but can have dangerous implications if not handled properly. We encourage our customers and employees to always stay safe when working with electricity."

FPL urges its customers to take the following precautions to stay safe:

Indoors:

1.  Inspect your system - Have a licensed electrician inspect your home's electrical system to ensure that it's running properly and meets current electrical codes. Flickering lights, sparks, non-functioning outlets and tripping circuits may indicate a problem.

2.  Check bulbs - Check bulbs to ensure they are screwed in securely and the correct wattage for the fixture. Replace bulbs that have higher wattage than recommended

3.  Examine cords - Replace or throw away electrical items that have frayed or cracked electric cords. Cords should never be nailed or stapled to walls, baseboards or other objects.

4.  Use extension cords properly – Extension cords can overheat and cause fires when used improperly. Do not overload extension cords or attempt to plug them into one another.

5.  Only put electrical plugs into outlets - Teach children to never stick fingers or objects into electrical outlets or appliances with openings such as toasters. Cover or cap outlets you are not using to protect children.

6.  Plug-in one high-wattage appliance at a time - Plug only one high-wattage appliance - such as a coffee maker, toaster, iron or space heater - into an outlet at a time to avoid overloading it.

7.  Water and electricity don't mix - Don't place any electrical appliance near water, such as a sink or bathtub. Appliances that are used near water should be unplugged when not in use. If you have an appliance that has gotten wet, unplug it and don't use it until it has been checked by a qualified repairperson. Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFIs) should be installed on outlets near water sources.

8.  Before wiring, turn it off - Turn off the power at the breaker before working on electrical devices or wiring.  

Outdoors:

9.  Stay away from power lines - Keep yourself and anything you are touching more than 10 feet away from neighborhood power lines and at least 35 feet from larger high-voltage lines. This includes ladders, tools to pick fruit or trim trees, kites, metallic balloons and flying toys.

10. Report fallen power lines - Stay away from a power line that has fallen and anything it may be touching. Call 911 and FPL at 800-4OUTAGE (800-468-8243) immediately to report it.

11. Call 811 before digging - Call at least two full business days before doing any digging to have underground utilities marked. It's free and it's required by law.

12. Check before using tools outdoors - Are the electrical appliances and tools marked for outdoor use? Make sure they are and avoid using them close to water or in the rain.

Additional information is available at FPL.com/safety.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving more than 4.8 million customer accounts or more than 10 million people across nearly half of the state of Florida. FPL's typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30 percent lower than the latest national average and, in 2015, was the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities for the sixth year in a row. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all utilities nationwide. The company was recognized in 2015 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,800 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2016 list of "World's Most Admired Companies." NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. For more information, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

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SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company

Related Links

http://www.FPL.com