Alliant Energy: Reminds customers about threat from carbon monoxide

Media Contact: Steve Schultz (608) 458-3285

Colorless, odorless gas can prove deadly

MADISON, WI – January 26, 2011 – The threat of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is typically highest in the winter. Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), and Alliant Energy company, reminds customers that they most often come in contact with carbon monoxide after incomplete burning of natural gas, propane, kerosene, or any other fossil fuel for heat.

It’s important to know that you can’t see or smell CO. Only a CO detector can alert you to a problem. Health officials recommend having CO detectors on every level of your home and within ten feet of any sleeping areas. Just as you do with smoke detectors, check and replace batteries in CO detectors too.

CO comes from poorly functioning appliances, or appliances that are not vented or incorrectly vented. Appliances such as furnaces, space heaters, and even gas or charcoal grills all pose a threat. Outdoor equipment such as portable generators, heaters, and stoves, can create dangerous levels of CO in cabins and especially in hunting and fishing shacks.

In addition to watching out for appliances, never let a vehicle idle inside an attached garage, even with the door open. The CO from the exhaust can collect in the garage or go inside the home.

“Since the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning mimic those of the flu, victims often don’t realize the cause of their illness,” said Rosanne Rogers, natural gas compliance and operations support manager – Alliant Energy. “Headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, disorientation, fatigue, muscle weakness, and difficulty waking are all early indicators of possible carbon monoxide poisoning.”

If you suspect CO poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Be sure to call for help before helping others. That way you don’t pass out before making that first call to alert emergency responders.

“If exposure continues over a long period of time, CO poisoning can lead to brain damage or even death. If the symptoms are not accompanied by fever, if everyone in the family is ill, or if the symptoms disappear when you leave the house, it could be CO poisoning,” added Rogers.

On February 1, 2011, a new Wisconsin law goes into effect requiring carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to be installed in all one- and two-family dwellings. Newly constructed homes will require CO detectors that are directly wired to the home’s electrical service and existing homes may use battery-powered, stand-alone detectors. State law currently includes a similar requirement for multi-family dwellings.

Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and over 412,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company’s primary focus. Wisconsin Power and Light, the company’s Wisconsin utility subsidiary, serves approximately 454,000 electric and 178,000 natural gas customers. Alliant Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.alliantenergy.com.