By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The sizzle of summer is right around the corner, and a lot of us are breaking out the air conditioners and fans. In recognition of that, Peco — the regional electric utility — has begun rolling out its annual fan giveaway for senior citizens.
Today, at the Center in the Park, a senior center in Germantown, it took less than 45 minutes for about a hundred box fans to get scooped up.
“I always keep my fan at the window,” said one grateful woman.
“I’ll use it in the sun parlor, keep that part of the house liveable,” said a male recipient.
Along with the free fans came some free tips from environmental experts. One of the most important is to keep the windows open while using the fan, to prevent your home from becoming a dangerously hot convection oven.
Used properly, Peco’s Mike Innocenzo (at right in photo) says, the fans can be lifesavers for the elderly when the temperature soars.
“We’ve given thousands of fans out to the public over the years,” he said today. “This is one of six events we’ll be having this year: a hundred fans at six different locations, in each of the counties we serve.”