Some areas could see lows in the 20s

It might be time to do something about that worn-out weather stripping.

Temperatures before daybreak Wednesday will be the lowest of the year so far, with the mercury dropping below freezing along the coast and possibly dipping into the lower 20s farther inland.

That means plugging any holes or gaps in doors. Tape, plastic, even a trusty blanket or towel wedged underneath — anything will help.

It will take the rest of the week for temperatures to inch back into the 40s at night, and there's no warm-up in sight, said meteorologist Joe Calderone with the National Weather Service, Charleston.

Here's a list of other things you can do to keep warm and save some money:

-- Set the thermostat at 68 degrees. Every degree set above 68 can add as much as 10 percent to the monthly power bill, said Trish Freshwater, SCE&G public affairs coordinator

-- Open the blinds and drapes to catch the sun and close them when the sun goes down.

-- Use ceiling fans to keep the heat circulating.

-- Close the closet doors. "You don't need to heat that space," Freshwater said.

Meanwhile, wrap up and drip a little. Water will freeze in exposed pipes if they get too cold for too long, so wrap them. Swaddle the pipes with some sort of insulation. Keep an inside faucet barely dripping so water continues to flow.

This week's low temperatures shouldn't be that bad, but "it never hurts to be safe and make sure you don't have problems with your plumbing," said Jenny Hagan, Charleston Water System's public relations manager.