Power Lines Newsletter - February 2007

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In this issue:

• Keep warm for less in the winter months
  
• Simple, free ways to lower your energy bills
  
• 2008 PUD Calendar Photo Contest
  
• How Efficient is Your Home?
• Finance your efficiency improvements
  
• Free tickets to Oregon Manufactured Home Show
  

Keep warm for less in the winter months

Our Energy Experts can help you keep winter heating bills low

It’s a fact of life that when the temperature drops, heating costs rise. But you don’t have to feel helpless - our Energy Experts can help you find ways to lower your heating bills, many of which can also improve your home’s value while keeping you more comfortable. Here are a few examples:

Increase insulation levels

Increasing the amount of insulation in your attic, walls and floor can greatly decrease
heat loss. We offer rebates and financing for insulation upgrades that are completed through the PUD’s home weatherization program.

Install a heat pump system

A heat pump system is one of the most efficient ways to heat and cool your
home. We offer rebates of up to $1,300, financing options and quality
assurance inspections for qualifying systems that are installed through the
PUD’s heat pump program.

Install efficient windows

Energy efficient windows can reduce your heating and cooling bill by as much
as 15%. We offer rebates of $3.50 per square foot of window area and
financing for the purchase of qualifying windows that are installed through the
PUD’s window replacement program.

For more information

To learn more about how you can improve the efficiency of your home and earn
for efficiency improvements, contact our Energy Experts at (503) 366-5470 or
click here to read more about our efficiency programs.

Simple, free ways to lower your energy bills

• Set your thermostat back a few degrees. Set it even lower when you are away or asleep.
• Set your water heater at 120° (140° if you have a dishwasher without a heating unit).
• Take shorter showers. Showers can account for 2/3 of your water heating costs.
• Your dishwasher uses less water than you do - if you run full loads. Use the ‘energy-saver’ selection if there is one.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
  
• Replace burned out incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, which use much less electricity.
  
• Caulk or weatherstrip around all exterior openings.
• Close the fireplace damper when it’s not in use. (Wait several hours after the fire dies.)

2008 PUD Calendar Photo Contest

Each year we produce a calendar for our customers that features scenic photographs taken in Columbia County. We’re currently holding a contest to select the photos for the 2008 calendar.

To enter, send us your favorite photos by August 31st. Entry forms and complete contest details are available at our office and on our website.

To be considered, photos must be shot in Columbia County and be appropriately sized for printing at 12 inches wide by 9 inches high and 300 pixels per inch. A panel of judges will select the photos to be used in the calendar.

All photos must be previously unpublished; we will retain exclusive rights for one year for the photos that are used in the calendar. For complete contest details, visit
www.crpud.net or contact Libby Calnon at lca@crpud.org or (503) 366-3264.

How efficient is your home?

We offer a free home energy evaluation on our website. This simple questionnaire takes about 20 minutes to complete and identifies potential energy-saving opportunities in your home. Visit www.crpud.net to take the evaluation.

If you heat your home with electricity, you may also request a free in-home energy evaluation. A PUD Energy Expert will visit your home and perform a comprehensive energy use evaluation. They will explain the results and tell you about any opportunities for efficiency improvements, as well as what incentives we offer for those improvements.

Incentives for efficiency improvements

Your heating fuel determines which organization will provide incentives for home efficiency improvements:

If you heat with electricity:

We offer free online and in-home energy evaluations and a variety of rebate programs for efficiency improvements.
Phone: (503) 366-5470
Web: www.crpud.net/residential/efficiency

If you heat with gas:

The Energy Trust of Oregon offers free home energy reviews and cash incentives for efficiency improvements.
Phone: (866) 368-7878
Web: www.energytrust.org

If you heat with other fuels:

The Oregon Department of Energy offers efficiency improvement rebates for oil, propane, kerosene, butane, or wood-heated homes.
Phone: (800) 221-8035
Web: www.oregon.gov/energy

Finance your efficiency improvements

We’ve partnered with St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union to offer the Community Partners Loan Program. This program provides qualified customers with 6% financing for up to 84 months for energy efficiency improvements, electrical system improvements and renewable energy installations, with no loan fees and no prepayment penalty.

To qualify for the Community Partners Loan Program, you must first have your project approved by the PUD. To learn more, contact our Energy Experts at (503) 366-5470 or experts@crpud.org.

Free tickets to the 2007 Oregon Manufactured Home Show

The 2007 Oregon Manufactured Home Show will be held March 1-4 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem.  For a free ticket to the show, contact our Energy Experts at experts@crpud.org or (503) 366-5470.