Reminder: Have your Unit Checked Before Turning on the Heat

It's the time of year when the threat of fire increases... as the weather cools down and we turn on the heat.

Caldwell, "We have probably 75 % of our clientele that call now."

It's a call that could save you money..

Caldwell, "You can get by with electric a lot of times until it gets real cold and then you'll get a $200 or $300 power bill and that's the reason. It's because, you know, the unit is not working properly. A lot of times you can spend $64 up front to make sure that it's working the way it should work."

and more importantly fire officials say it could save your life.

Glenn Davis, Ft. Oglethorpe Fire Marshall, "Heating air units can turn around and catch on fire as well as fire places if you've got cracks in your chimney and stuff like that you got creosote built up in the chimney creosote catches on fire. You've got cracks the heat will go through the cracks get into the wood could set your house on fire."

And fire isn't the only danger.

Caldwell, "Carbon monoxide is a gas that you can't smell and you can't see. You'll have headaches, watery eyes. It's really dangerous. It's something that can kill you."

It's also a good time to check the batteries on your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.