Arizona Lifestyle

December 2011

Happy holidays from APS
All of us at APS would like to thank you for being an APS customer and wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Give yourself a holiday bonus by using less energy
With the extra expenses of the holidays, everyone could use more money. So why not give yourself a holiday bonus by using less energy and lowering your electric bill. Small changes in your lifestyle and in your home can add up to significant savings every month, so your holiday bonus can continue throughout the year. Here are some easy ways to save money this winter. 

• Turn down your thermostat. Set it at 68 degrees or lower and if you are cold, wear another layer of clothes and add an extra blanket on your bed. If you’re still too cold, turn your thermostat up a degree at a time until you’re comfortable. Taking a holiday vacation? Set your thermostat at 60 degrees or lower (but no lower than 40 to ensure water pipes don’t freeze in Arizona’s colder locations). For every degree you lower your thermostat, you can save about 2% on the heating portion of your bill.
   
• Apply weather stripping to doors and windows to keep the cold out and the heat in. Keep doors and windows closed when the heat is on.
   
• Keep the heat from going up the chimney. Close the damper in your fireplace when there is no fire.
   
• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees. This not only reduces energy use, but prevents scalding.

For more energy-saving tips, visit aps.com/save.

Go paperless, help the environment
Make managing your APS account easier and help the environment by going paperless. When you sign up for paperless billing, you will be helping the environment by reducing paper consumption and saving trees. Eeach month you’ll receive an e-mail telling you your bill is ready. You can then log on and open your e-bill from your browser. Your e-bill will be presented in PDF format, so it looks exactly like the paper bill that’s sent in the mail. You can even save it or print it if needed. Go paperless at aps.com/paperless today. 

‘Tis the Season to Share
As the holidays draw near, many of us tend to think of those who are less fortunate. At APS, we want to help our neighbors in need and have a way you can join us while getting some benefits for yourself.

During December, APS will donate $1 to Project SHARE for every customer who registers their account on aps.com and another $1 for every customer who signs up for paperless billing.

SHARE is the Salvation Army’s Service to Help Arizonans with Relief on Energy program, helping customers in need pay utility bills and avoid interruptions in service. APS’s goal is to donate $20,000 to SHARE during this often-challenging part of the year for many families.

You can help by simply registering your APS account at aps.com/register. By registering your APS account you gain online access to your account information and usage, and you can eliminate the hassle of paper bills by going paperless. If you are already registered, you can go paperless today at aps.com/paperless.

Visit aps.com/share2011 to learn more.

Improve home air quality and save with duct test and repair rebates
Most homeowners don’t give much thought to their air conditioning duct system, but leaky ductwork can cost you a lot of money and affect your personal comfort and indoor air quality. In Arizona’s desert climate, about 50% of your annual energy bill is typically spent on running your heating and cooling system. Fixing duct leaks could save you more than $200 on your annual energy costs while improving the comfort of your home.

It is common for duct systems to have poorly sealed connections, loose fittings or disconnected duct runs. In summer, these problems mean cooled air is blowing into your attic, or 140 degree air is being pulled into your air conditioning system to be cooled. In winter, heated air escapes into your attic and cold air is pulled into your heating system. This wastes energy, costs you money and makes your home less comfortable.

So how do you know if your home has duct leakage? Some general indicators of duct leakage are:

• Discoloration on the insulation wrapped around the ducts.
   
• Your home has rooms that are difficult to cool and heat or seem stuffy or dusty.
   
• During the winter, air coming from your heat pump feels lukewarm or cold.
   
• The inside of the ducts get dirty frequently.

The APS Duct Test and Repair Rebate Program offers you up to $250 per system to have a Participating Contractor test and repair air leaks in your heating/cooling duct system. The Participating Contractor will test your system to determine the amount of leakage and, if necessary, seal up the leaks and help you fill out the APS rebate application form.

Why wait? Improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home with the APS Duct Test and Repair Rebate Program and save up to $250 per system. For more information or a free referral to a Participating Contractor, call the APS Energy Answer Line today at (602) 371-3636 or (888) 890-9730 or visit aps.com/ductrepair.

Title 44 brings greater efficiency to residential pool pumps
The Arizona Legislature recently passed Title 44 and included it into the Appliance and Equipment Energy-Efficiency Standards of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Within Title 44 are new efficiency standards for residential pool pumps, pool pump motors and portable electric spas, which will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

What does this mean for pool owners? While it does not affect any pump currently installed on an in-ground residential pool, any newly installed pumps that are one horsepower or greater will be required to meet the new energy-efficiency standards beginning January 1. Dual-speed pumps will be the minimum efficiency for pool pump installations, and inefficient single-speed pumps will no longer be sold.

For the greatest efficiency and best performance, APS recommends pool owners consider upgrading to a variable-speed pool pump. These pumps operate more quietly, help keep pools cleaner and give pool owners greater flexibility, all while using up to 80% less energy than a single-speed pump. And while a variable-speed pump may have a slightly higher cost than a dual-speed pump, with a $200 rebate from APS -- plus energy savings of up to $400 per year -- the payback time is usually less than two years. For more information on the APS Energy Efficient Pools Rebate program, ask your pool professional or visit aps.com/pools.

Programs funded by APS customers and approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

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November 2011

Light up your holidays with energy-efficient, money-saving LED lights
Whether you’re adding to your existing holiday lights or replacing your old ones, LED (light emitting diode) lights are the ones to buy to save energy and money. LED lights use about 90% less electricity than traditional incandescent holiday lights, which adds up to big savings on your electric bill. For example, if you typically decorate with five, 100-bulb strands of incandescent lights and keep them on for five hours a night, switching to LED lights can save you $40 per month. So your new LED lights will pay for themselves in just a few weeks.

LED lights last longer than conventional bulbs, give off less heat and, since they use less electricity, can be strung in longer strands. Help your budget and the environment this holiday season by decorating with LED lights.

Go to aps.com/led and check out our calculator that lets you input the number of lights you have and the number of hours you run them, then calculates how much you can expect to save by switching to LED holiday lights.

Stay safe this holiday season
One of the best gifts for the holidays is staying safe throughout the season. Here are some seasonal tips to help keep you and your family accident-free.

• Turn off holiday lights before going to sleep or leaving the house unattended. An appliance timer can turn lights on and off automatically.
   
• Use only Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) approved electrical devices -- lights, extension cords, spotlights, sockets, timers, etc.
   
• Before decorating, check all electrical devices for damage and fraying. Discard damaged items.
   
• Use more than one circuit to avoid overloading your home’s wiring. If using incandescent lights, connect no more than three strands. If using LED lights connect no more than five. 
   
• To reduce the risk of electrical shock, make sure your outdoor electrical outlets are equipped with GFCI’s (ground fault circuit interrupters) and test them to make sure they are working properly.
   
• Avoid stringing any outdoor lighting or electrical cords where water from irrigation or sprinklers may be present. Water and electricity do not mix and can cause serious injury or even death.
   
• Do not hang electric lights on a metallic tree. The danger of shock is great. Instead, use a spotlight to illuminate metallic trees.
   
• Keep your live Christmas tree fresh by checking the water in the stand on a daily basis. If the tree begins to lose a large amount of needles, or if the needles become brittle, do not use electrical lights for decorations. The heat from the lights may cause a fire.
   
• Your home should have a smoke detector on every level and outside each sleeping area. Be sure to test them frequently.
   
•  As a precaution, all homes should have at least one class ABC fire extinguisher, placed in an easily accessible area. Know how to properly use the extinguisher.

We at APS wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Get your heater ready for winter
Is your heating system ready for cold weather? Winter is right around the corner, which means it’s time to make sure your heating system is in tip-top shape. A well-maintained heating system operates more efficiently and uses less energy so it costs you less to stay warm and cozy. And regular servicing also reduces costly repairs and unexpected breakdowns. Get an APS Qualified Contractor to perform a checkup on your heater or AC unit so it is ready for winter.

To find an APS Qualified Contractor, visit aps.com/ac or call (602) 371-3636 or (888) 890-9730 outside the Phoenix area. For emergency referrals during evening hours or on weekends, call the Arizona Heat Pump Council at (602) 248-7767.

Save with winter energy efficiency tips
Home energy efficiency is just as important in winter as in summer. Making small changes in your home and in how you use energy can mean big savings on your electric bill.

• First, be sure your APS service plan suits your lifestyle and home. To compare plans, visit aps.com/compare or call (602) 371-7171.
   
• Just as turning your thermostat up a few degrees can save you money in summer, turning it down a few degrees reduces your energy bills in winter. Set your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower and if you are cold, turn it up gradually or put on more clothes or blankets. When you’re on vacation, set your thermostat at 60 degrees or lower. Have your heating unit serviced annually to ensure it is operating efficiently, and be sure to keep your AC filter clean.
   
• Be sure your windows and doors seal tight and you have adequate insulation. Caulk leaks and install weather stripping around leaky doors and windows and add insulation to keep out the winter chill.
   
• Let the sun shine in. The sun can help warm your home for free, so open your drapes and trim back trees and shrubs that prevent the sun from shining on your home. Once the sun is gone, close the drapes to keep in the warmth.
   
• Keep your fireplace damper closed tight when there is no fire to keep warm air from escaping up the chimney.

For more energy-saving tips, visit aps.com/save.

Invest wisely in solar with an APS Qualified Solar Installer
Solar can be a great investment. By using the sun as a power source, you can significantly save on your energy costs over time. And with APS rebates and federal and state tax credits, you can also save on installation costs. Bottom line, with the long-term cost savings on energy and the reduced cost of installation, solar can be a smart investment.

When you are ready to go solar, be sure to turn to an APS Qualified Solar Installer. They are licensed, experienced, committed to ongoing education and have completed APS’s nationally recognized training program. They’ll help make sure your solar installation goes off without a hitch.

Visit aps.com/findsolar to find an APS Qualified Solar Installer and join the thousands of APS customers who are saving money and helping the environment by going solar.

Save energy and money with a Duct Test and Repair Rebate of up to $250
The average home loses 15% of its heating and cooling capacity through air conditioning duct leaks, which can add up to as much as $200 per year in wasted energy. Poorly sealed connections, loose fittings and disconnected duct runs can cause air from your heater or air conditioner to escape into your attic, which wastes energy, costs you money and makes your home less comfortable.

The APS Duct Test and Repair Rebate Program offers you up to $250 per system to have a Participating Contractor test and repair air leaks in your heating/cooling duct system. The Participating Contractor will test your system to determine the amount of leakage and if necessary seal the leaks and help you fill out the APS rebate application form. To qualify for the Duct Test and Repair Rebates, customers must use a Participating Contractor in the APS Duct Test and Repair Rebate Program.

Why wait? Improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home with the APS Duct Test and Repair Rebate Program and save up to $250. For more information or a free referral to a Participating Contractor call the APS Energy Answer Line today at (602) 371-3636, (888) 890-9730

Programs funded by APS customers and approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

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