Butte
, Mont. – April 20, 2009 – In honor of Earth Day, NorthWestern Energy is reminding its Montana customers of the variety of programs and services that encourage Earth-friendly energy practices including a new special offer for residential electric customers, the Earth Day Lighting Coupon.
“In less than a minute, people can change out a high use incandescent bulb to a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and save energy this Earth Day,” said Bill Thomas, Manager of Regulatory Support Services.
“The coupon has been mailed to all residential electric customers and is now showing up in mail boxes around Montana. The coupon enables customers to save $2 off the price of each CFL purchased at participating retailers.” The coupon is valid from April 22 through June 14, 2009.
CFLs use one-quarter of the electricity of a traditional bulb and last up to ten times longer. By shopping for CFLs with the 4L’s – Label, Light, Location, and Less Energy, customers can choose the right CFL for the right location and immediately start saving energy.
In addition to the CFL promotion, NorthWestern Energy provides rebates for qualifying insulation improvements, ENERGY STAR programmable thermostats, and energy efficient heating equipment and improvements for its home-heating customers. Rebates are also offered when replacing a hot water tank with a high efficiency unit. Residential customers heating their homes or domestic hot water with Northwestern Energy electricity may be eligible for incentives to switch to natural gas. Rebates for lighting efficiency improvements and premium efficiency motor purchases are available to commercial electric customers. The custom incentives are offered for site-specific, cost-effective energy savings are now available for both electric and natural gas measures in new or existing commercial facilities.
Customers building new homes are encouraged to work with a builder who will build a Northwest ENERGY STAR certified home. These homes meet strict standards to be more efficient and are tested for efficiency and comfort. Visit www.northwestenergystar.com for features and a listing of Montana builders who are trained as Northwest ENERGY STAR builders.
After reducing the energy footprint through efficiency and conservation measures, renewable energy options provide other paths to pursue. NorthWestern Energy offers incentives to qualifying photovoltaic systems that maximize the use of the sun and small-scale wind projects through its Renewable Generation Programs. If installing a renewable system is not a fit, the E+ Green Power program allows customers to offset their electric usage with the environmental benefits of renewable energy generated in the Northwest for as little as $2 a month.
“Every day is Earth Day and NorthWestern Energy’s Efficiency Plus, or E+ Programs, provide many opportunities for our customers who are looking to take action,” said Thomas.
NorthWestern Energy is participating in the 2009 Energy Conservation Fair in the Capitol Rotunda from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Earth Day, April 22. The event is sponsored by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. NorthWestern Energy will have information about its energy efficiency and renewable generation programs at the event.
Visit www.northwesternenergy.com for details and qualifications on any of the above-mentioned programs or call (888) 467-2669. NorthWestern Energy’s E+ Programs are funded through supply rates and the Universal System Benefits Charge (USBC) paid by NorthWestern Energy’s Montana customers and thus, available only to our customers in Montana.
About NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 650,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. More information on NorthWestern Energy is available on the Company's Web site at www.northwesternenergy.com.
Media Contact:
Claudia Rapkoch
(866) 622-8081
claudia.rapkoch@northwestern.com