Customer Newsletter, November 2007

Prepare Your Home for Winter
Don’t let your hard-earned money blow away through drafty doors and windows, or uninsulated attics, walls, floors, and basements. As you prepare to stay warm this winter, save your money and reduce your utility bills by following these energy efficiency tips:
  • Find air leaks inside and around the exterior of the home. Check around fixtures that penetrate walls, such as exhaust fans and electrical outlets. Look for unfilled gaps and cracks near dryer vents, chimneys and faucet pipes.
  • Seal leaks between moving parts with weather stripping, such as between a door and its frame. Caulk cracks between windows and walls, as well as around door frames.
  • Replace your screens with storm windows and doors. If you have older or leaky windows that you can’t replace, consider doing temporary fixes, such as plastic film kits that create the effect of an interior storm window.
  • If you are shopping for new windows, doors, or skylights, look for ones with the ENERGY STAR label.
  • Make sure attics and flooring above unheated areas, such as crawl spaces and the garage, are properly insulated.
  • Have your furnace checked by a professional to make sure it’s operating safely and at its optimal level. In addition, change your furnace filters monthly.
  • Have a programmable thermostat installed to automatically raise and lower home temperatures for energy savings by day and night.
Other stories inside this edition:
  • Developing Issue: Climate Change Legislation In the past year, we feel that the political environment has moved to one which embraces climate change. More>>>
  • Make the Change of Season Safely
    • Don't let your hard-earned money blow away through drafty doors and windows... More>>>
  • All Aboard! On the ENERGY STAR Change A Light Pledge
    • For the 2007-2007 ENERGY STAR Change A Light Pledge program, a total of 156 people have pledged to do their part to change one incandescent bulb to a compact fluorescent lamp...More>>>
  • Switch & Save Campaign Is Underway!
    • Thursday, November 1, Nebraska Public Power District and itw wholesale customer utilities, including Southern Power District, kicked off a campaign to encourage energy efficiency... More>>>