Puget Sound Energy recommends easy, steps to save energy

"As the daylight hours grow shorter, most households use more electricity in the winter than in the summer, and their natural gas consumption goes up when furnaces kick on to warm homes," said Darren Brady, PSE's senior vice president of Customer Service and Information Technology. "Our 13 percent natural gas rate reduction which went into effect on Oct. 1 will help. But, we also always encourage our customers this time of year to take a few easy steps to save energy and money."

When time and resources allow, Brady said, it's a good idea to properly insulate attics, outside walls, and floors over crawl spaces. Replacing an old furnace or worn-out appliance with a new, high-efficiency model also will pay dividends over time.

The easiest and quickest way to make a noticeable dent in energy consumption – and bills – is to lower a home's thermostat a few degrees, particularly at bedtime or while gone during the day, Brady said. Setting the thermostat to 58 degrees during sleep hours alone can decrease a natural gas bill by up to 7 percent. A programmable thermostat, he noted, takes the effort out of this task, and can re-warm a house shortly before its occupants wake up or return home from work or school.

Other easy, no- or low-cost energy-saving tips include:

* Sealing air leaks around drafty windows and doors;
* Checking furnace filters monthly and cleaning or replacing them when they're dirty;
* Keeping heating outlets and return registers clear of furniture or other objects;
* Keeping fireplace dampers and glass doors closed when a fireplace is not in use; and
* Having furnaces inspected and serviced to ensure they're in top working order.

PSE offers rebates on several home efficiency products including clothes washers, compact fluorescent bulbs and fixtures, natural gas furnaces and water heaters, and insulation. Customers can call a PSE Energy Advisor toll-free at 1-800-562-1482 for more information on the tips and rebates.

PSE customers having trouble paying their utility bill may be able to get help from PSE's

Home Energy Lifeline Program, or HELP. With a recent boost in funding, the program will allocate $7.9 million over the coming year to help low-income households served by PSE pay their natural gas and electricity bills.

Depending on income and household size, a recipient can receive up to $750 in utility-bill credits from HELP. Over the past year, nearly 18,000 families received the program's bill assistance.

Brady also encouraged customers having difficulty paying their heating bills to call PSE about its Budget Payment Plan, which helps even out a customer's payments over a 12-month period. PSE customers also may be able to get help from the utility's Warm Home Fund, which extends short-term, emergency bill assistance. The fund is administered by The Salvation Army.

Customers can call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or visit the utility's Web site, at www.pse.com, for energy-saving tips or to get more information about bill assistance. Information on energy assistance and other social services available throughout Washington also can be obtained by dialing 2-1-1, the toll-free number for a new community-assistance information line. The hot line is funded by government agencies, the United Way, and the business community.

Puget Sound Energy delivers natural gas service to more than 721,000 customers in Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis and Kittitas counties. The utility also serves more than 1 million electric customers across the Puget Sound region and Kittitas County. - Source: Puget Sound Energy