ENERGY...trees planted around your home can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent. you:...
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APR. 2016 ENERGY CONNECTIONS Have Fun and Be Safe Near Dams As the snow melts and the weather improves, it will be time to break the cabin fever and get outdoors. As you are enjoying the wonderful recreational opportunities that Montana provides, we’d like to remind you to be safe on waterways – particularly when recreating near our hydroelectric facilities. Please watch out for signs and follow precautions that are posted. Buoys in the water will warn you of places not to pass when swimming or on a boat. The current of the dam can easily catch a person or boat. If you are below the dam on the water, be aware that water levels can change unexpectedly at any time. Always use caution and be aware of your surroundings. Water safety is everyone’s responsibility. A few facts to keep in mind while you are around water: • Just six inches of moving water can knock you down. • Two feet of water can sweep your car away. • Young children can (and have) drowned in as little as an inch of water. Save Energy with Trees Spring Time, Green Time, Tree Time Trees provide many benefits including: cleaning the air, producing food, providing oxygen, cooling homes and sidewalks, protecting us from harsh winter weather, increasing property values, reducing heating and cooling costs. Before you plant, get the facts! • Pick a tree that is appropriate for your climate and space. • Know where overhead power lines are Planting the right tree in the right place is key to maximizing the energy-saving benefits that trees provide. Well-placed trees can be as effective as other energy-saving home improvements, such as insulation and the installation of air sealing measures on windows and doors. According to the Department of Natural Resources, a minimum of three large shade trees planted around your home can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent. Shade trees offer their best benefits when you: • Plant deciduous trees, which shed their leaves during the winter. These trees provide shade and block heat during hotter months. By dropping their leaves in the fall, they allow sunlight in the colder months. • Place the trees on the south and west sides of buildings. • Provide shade all hard surfaces such as driveways, patios and sidewalks to minimize landscape heat load. • Use evergreens, which retain their leaves or needles in a planned pattern all year long. They serve as windbreaks to save in energy used for heating. Evergreens offer the best benefits when you: • Place them as a barrier to block winter winds, usually on the north side of your home. • Do not plant them on the south or west side of your home because they will block warming sunlight during the winter. These trees also provide some shading benefits during summer. Get professional assistance to assure correct selection of species and their placement to maximize energy savings. and plant at least 15 to 20 feet away; trees that grow taller than 40 feet must be planted more than 35 feet away. • Call 811 at least two business days before you dig to check for underground utility lines. • Once you know where underground natural gas lines are, plant at least 25 feet away. Get more safety tips for planting along a gas pipeline at NorthWesternEnergy.com. Discover ways to celebrate this special day by visiting ArborDay.org. Watch local media and our Facebook page on Arbor Day (April 29) as we celebrate by announcing the winners of our 2015-2016 “Trees Together Coloring Contest”. Ten lucky schools will receive $5,000 worth of trees planted by NorthWestern Energy employee volunteers!
Transcript of ENERGY...trees planted around your home can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent. you:...
APR. 2016
ENERGY CONNECTIONS
Have Fun and Be Safe Near Dams
As the snow melts and the weather improves, it will be time to break the cabin fever and get outdoors. As you are enjoying the wonderful recreational opportunities that Montana provides, we’d like to remind you to be safe on waterways – particularly when recreating near our hydroelectric facilities. Please watch out for signs and follow precautions that are posted. Buoys in the water will warn you of places not to pass when swimming or on a boat. The current of the dam can easily catch a person or boat. If you are below the dam on the water, be aware that water levels
can change unexpectedly at any time. Always use caution and be aware of your surroundings.
Water safety is everyone’s responsibility. A few facts to keep in mind while you are around water:
• Just six inches of moving water can knock you down.
• Two feet of water can sweep your car away.
• Young children can (and have) drowned in as little as an inch of water.
Save Energy with Trees
Spring Time, Green Time, Tree Time
Trees provide many benefits including: cleaning the air, producing food, providing oxygen, cooling homes and sidewalks, protecting us from harsh winter weather, increasing property values, reducing heating and cooling costs.
Before you plant, get the facts!
• Pick a tree that is appropriate for your climate and space.
• Know where overhead power lines are
Planting the right tree in the right place is key to maximizing the energy-saving benefits that trees provide.
Well-placed trees can be as effective as other energy-saving home improvements, such as insulation and the installation of air sealing measures on windows and doors.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, a minimum of three large shade trees planted around your home can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent. Shade trees offer their best benefits when you:
• Plant deciduous trees, which shed their leaves during the winter. These trees provide shade and block heat during hotter months. By dropping their leaves in the fall, they allow sunlight in the colder months.
• Place the trees on the south and west sides of buildings.
• Provide shade all hard surfaces such as driveways, patios and sidewalks to minimize landscape heat load.
• Use evergreens, which retain their leaves or needles in a planned pattern all year long. They serve as windbreaks to save in energy used for heating. Evergreens offer the best benefits when you:
• Place them as a barrier to block winter winds, usually on the north side of your home.
• Do not plant them on the south or west side of your home because they will block warming sunlight during the winter. These trees also provide some shading benefits during summer.
Get professional assistance to assure correct selection of species and their placement to maximize energy savings.
and plant at least 15 to 20 feet away; trees that grow taller than 40 feet must be planted more than 35 feet away.
• Call 811 at least two business days before you dig to check for underground utility lines.
• Once you know where underground natural gas lines are, plant at least 25 feet away. Get more safety tips for planting along a gas pipeline at NorthWesternEnergy.com.
Discover ways to celebrate this special day by visiting ArborDay.org. Watch local media and our Facebook page on Arbor Day (April 29) as we celebrate by announcing the winners of our 2015-2016 “Trees Together Coloring Contest”. Ten lucky schools will receive $5,000 worth of trees planted by NorthWestern Energy employee volunteers!
MONTANACustomer Contact Center (888) 467-2669 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F Emergency 24/7 ServiceCall Before You Dig 811Energy Efficiency (800) 823-5995
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Energy Connections Editor | 11 East Park Street | Butte, MT 59701 | [email protected] | www.northwesternenergy.com
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Nos preocupamos por su seguridad. Este anexo a su factura incluye mensajes importantes sobre seguridad que usted necesita saber con respecto al servicio público que le proporciona NorthWestern Energy. Comuníquese con nosotros si desea recibir la información de seguridad en español, llamando al teléfono 888-467-2669 (en Montana) 800-245-6977 (en South Dakota o Nebraska) y pregunte por las opciones de idiomas para los anexos de sus facturas.
Avian Protection Programs
Spring Cleaning Tips
In our December 2015 Energy Connections, we looked at the dangers of baling twine and osprey. Spring is arriving and the osprey are not far behind. Crews at NorthWestern Energy will once again be working to ensure the birds have a safe landing spot – away from power poles. Nests on energized power lines present a grave risk to osprey and often cause outages for our customers. NorthWestern reduces risk to both osprey and reliable service to our customers by providing alternate safe nesting platforms nearby and by installing nesting deterrents on poles, which may attract osprey.
However, osprey face other dangers even on these safe nesting platforms They are resourceful creatures, who build nests with sticks lined with bark, sod, grasses, vines, moss, or pieces of litter, especially bailing twine. Osprey seem to seek out bailing twine as a preferred component of a nest. Unfortunately, their feet, wings or head may become tangled in twine, cutting off circulation and restricting movement. When they try to fly, they hit the end of the twine and end up dangling below the nest, usually upside down. NorthWestern crews get called out several times each summer to release these birds. Unfortunately, we often learn of the situation too late for the bird, especially on hot summer days.
Raptor experts, conservation organizations, Fish Wildlife and Parks and NorthWestern Energy are working to educate the public about proper disposal of bailing twine to
reduce this risk and to develop a bailing twine recycling program for Montana. There are also efforts to coordinate trimming twine from existing nests before the birds return for the summer or after they leave in the fall. Be careful of the proximity to energized power lines.
You can help protect these birds by educating your neighbors, including farmers and ranchers, and people with horses, sheep or other livestock about the dangers of bailing twine. First, store unused or waste twine in places that are difficult for osprey to access—for example, in barns or in 45-gallon drums or garbage cans that have secure lids. Offer to help a landowner by picking up all used bailing twine in fields and on fence posts and properly disposing of it. We will keep you informed of progress and provide information on the recycling program.
Volunteers have good success reducing available twine in a few areas by educating the local population. Once people understood the unintended consequences of leaving bailing twine available, they responded positively, and the amount of twine in area nests decline.
Visit NorthWesternEnergy.com/docs/default-source/documents/connections/2016/OspreyPamphlet.pdf for a special pamphlet on Osprey protection created by the University of Montana.
Energy Share of MontanaMontanans work hard to keep up with their monthly bills, but sometimes things just don’t work out the way they’re planned. If you are in a situation where you need a little extra help to pay your home energy bill, please contact Energy Share of Montana at 1-888-779-7589. Ten HRDC (maybe state what HRDC stands for) offices around the state handle Energy Share applications. When you call their toll-free number, you will be directed to your local HRDC to apply for help.
Energy Share is a private nonprofit organization that helps Montanans facing energy emergencies. “Energy emergency” usually means someone who has a disconnect notice, is in danger of losing their heat or lights due to reasons beyond their control, and have no resources to pay the bill themselves. For more information visit www.energysharemt.com.
Spring is a great time to inspect and service your heating or cooling systems to ensure they operate efficiently and safely. This includes cleaning or replacing dirty furnace filters. When filters are clogged, air cannot flow easily, which causes your furnace to work harder than normal.
Check your insulation levels. Make sure your attic has at least an R-value of 38 and basement walls and crawl spaces are at an R-19 or more.
Install a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts heating or cooling temperatures at night and when no one is home. Also repair leaky water faucets and install aerators. Find more tips at northwesternenergy.com/eplus.
