Entergy Corporation : Entergy Texas Offers Power-to-Save Tools

Customers have the power to guard their homes and their wallets against winter

Beaumont, Texas - Winter blew into Southeast Texas with its typically chilly introduction, leaving many electric utility customers challenged with both staying warm and managing the costs that go with it.
Entergy Texas, Inc. wants to remind customers they have the power to save money and stay comfortable by following a few simple steps to help keep winter''s cold outside where it belongs while also helping keep energy costs more manageable.
"Heating a home can account for as much as half of the monthly energy bills, said Vernon Pierce, customer service director, Entergy Texas. "Cold air can be an expensive, unwanted visitor, finding its way through many openings that often go unnoticed, such as wall seams, attic doors and electrical outlets. Small spaces can add up to big energy losses."
Although there are many steps homeowners can take to protect themselves against cold weather, here are the top five energy savers.

• Adjust the thermostat. During winter months, set the thermostat to 68 degrees. Every degree higher can add 3 percent to your energy bill.
• Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium. Insulate pipes running to and from the heater and check for leaky faucets.
• Replace air and furnace filters every 30 days. Air conditioning and heating remain the top energy costs for a home, so keeping them in good condition makes sense.
• Use energy-efficient bulbs when replacing light bulbs. Entergy recommends ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent bulbs that use 70 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
• Properly air seal and insulate your attic and any location where there may be a path from the inside of your home to the outside. That includes places you may not automatically think of such as attic hatchways, electrical outlets and switches.

Customers can find answers to a variety of energy-related topics including what influences energy costs in their homes at www.entergytexas.com/savemoney. Entergy also encourages customers to consider one of the many billing options the company already has in place that can simplify managing and paying monthly energy bills. Level Billing protects against spikes in electricity bills even when usage is higher than normal. Pick-a-Date allows
customers to choose a due date that is most convenient for them.
Entergy Texas delivers electricity to more than 400,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.