 Summer is the perfect time to get Re-Energized! Save energy and stay cool with at-home tips and in-the-community events powered by Puget Sound Energy - your energy-efficiency and renewable energy expert.
In this issue:
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Re-Energize Your Block and you could win!
 Last year you Rocked the Bulb, now get ready to
Re-Energize Your Block! PSE is helping its residential electric customers become more energy efficient at home and in the community this summer. With the help of local retailers and manufacturers, we're giving you over 300 chances to win awesome (and energy-saving!) prizes and providing coupons on energy-efficient products to help you save! It's easy and fun to participate-you'll feel good about helping your family and neighbors save energy, and you might just win!
Join the Scavenger Hunt!Take simple energy-efficient actions at home and on-the-go and you could win big! Download and complete a Re-Energize Scavenger Hunt checklist after Aug. 3 to be entered to win:
- One of 100 do-it-yourself energy-efficient prizes from Philips, Moen
and PSE
- The Grand Prize of an ENERGY STARŪ qualified resource-efficient clothes washer plus dryer from Best Buy
Re-Energized? Tell us how!Show us how you're taking energy-efficient action at home or in your community in a video or photo and caption. Upload it after Aug. 3 and you could win one of eight weekly prizes, and an online vote will decide the winner of an ENERGY STAR qualified 32" Philips LCD flat screen TV.
Become a Block Star!Be a leader in energy efficiency! Once you submit a Scavenger Hunt form online after Aug. 3, sign up and start spreading the word for the chance to win even more prizes:
- The first 200 Block Stars to have five or more friends, family members or colleagues join the Scavenger Hunt after Aug. 3 will win an energy-efficient lighting package from PSE, Walgreens and Greenlight. The five Block Stars who recruit the most scavenger hunters will receive a $200 gift card to their local hardware store.
- The five Block Stars who recruit the most customers to participate in PSE's Secondary Fridge and Freezer Recycling Program will receive a $50 gift card to their local hardware store.
Plus, you can request a FREE Re-Energize Your Block kit to help your family save even more energy and money. The kit includes all you need to get started, including information on PSE's energy-efficiency services and valuable coupons for energy-efficient products. We've even thrown in a handy refrigerator thermometer, magnet and yard sign to help you let everyone know that you're Re-Energized!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to WA residents who are 18 or older and PSE residential electric customers by August 3, 2010. Odds of winning depend on no. of eligible entries for "Scavenger Hunt" promotion, and on no. and quality of eligible entries for "Photo/Video Contest" and "Block Stars" promotions. DETAILS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION APPLY. See PSE.com/ReEnergizeYourBlock for details, Official Rules and to enter. Sponsor: Puget Sound Energy, Inc.
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Get Re-Energized and earn reward$
Did you know that PSE will give you money back for making energy-efficient upgrades to your home? We have a slew of rebates for energy-efficient products and services that will help you take control over how much energy you use every day. For a full list of offers, visit PSE.com/Rebates.
Featured rebate: Ductless heat pump - $800Going ductless is Re-Energizing! Why? It keeps an electrically-heated home warm in winter AND cool in summer. How!? Ductless heat pump systems come standard with air conditioning, so you can stay comfortable and use 25 to 50 percent less energy year round. Visit goingductless.com/pse to learn more about PSE's $800 rebate.
Earn tax creditsMaking energy-efficient improvements to your home may also earn you up to $1,500 in federal tax credits - that's in addition to PSE's rebates! To learn more, visit energystar.gov/taxcredits or consult your tax advisor.
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Finding renewable energy in unusual places is
Re-Energizing
 Hey, what's that smell?! You know the one I'm talking about. It's that distinct odor that lets you know you have officially left the city and entered cow territory. To us, the smell means plain ol' cow pies and lots of them. But to Farm Power, a Skagit County renewable energy company that just broke ground on its second anaerobic dairy digester, that smell means the opportunity to create green electricity. Enough, in fact, to meet the energy needs of 500 homes and businesses through PSE's Green Power Program.
PSE's Green Power Program gives PSE electric customers the chance to support sustainable energy production by having their electricity use matched with certified energy sources like wind, solar, small hydro and, that's right, even cow manure.
In addition to producing clean, renewable energy, the new Farm Power digester's other environmental benefits will include reduced odor, a lowering of residual nitrogen in field-applied manure and the production of fiber bedding for farm use.
"We are proud to support Farm Power as they start construction on another impressive endeavor," said Tom Maclean, manager of Customer Renewable Energy Programs for PSE. "The Maas brothers are making a local renewable energy project work in a tough economy, which shows how when ingenuity meets demand, incredible things can happen."
So there you have it -the scoop on poop. For as little as $4 extra a month on your electricity bill you too can help support Farm Power and the many other renewable energy projects made possible by PSE's Green Power Program. Visit PSE.com/GreenPower to learn more and sign up.
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Re-Energize your summer home improvement projects
 Starting to plan your next home improvement project? Make PSE's Contractor Referral Service the first item on the to-do list. We can recommend a pre-screened, certified contractor in your area to help you with just about any home retrofit. The best part - we make sure our member contractors know their stuff when it comes to making a home more energy efficient. Visit PSE.com/CRS to request a referral.
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Top ways to Re-Energize this summer
 Keep your home cool without cranking up the A/C by opening windows and doors in the evening and early morning when it's cooler outside. Opening a window high on the warm side of the house and a lower window on the cool side creates cross ventilation to keep your home cool and breezy. Fans can help move the air throughout the house. An ENERGY STARŪ qualified ceiling fan/light combination uses 50 percent less energy in comparison to a conventional model. Fans cool people, not rooms, so remember to turn them off when you leave.
- With longer days comes shorter nights so don't forget to adjust outdoor lighting timers. This will save some energy and extend the life of the bulbs.
- Install a programmable thermostat and take a little time to set reasonable temperatures for the hours when you are home and away. Setting and leaving the thermostat at 78 degrees during the summer months could save you as much as five percent on your energy bill.
- When you can, use your microwave for cooking. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove and does not heat up the kitchen like a stove does. Handy for cooking during those hot months!
- Postpone running the dishwasher and doing laundry until nighttime to avoid adding extra heat to your home.
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