HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-10 Bozeman Breeze Newsletter.pdfTo date, by purchasing wind
energy from Invenergy in Ju-
dith Gap, MT and wind farms
in South Dakota, NWE has
reached 8% of their 2015 goal.
The scope of renewable ener-
gy by NWE’s standards is that
it comes from a clean source
in order to reduce their car-
bon footprint. Local Montan-
ans can reduce their carbon
footprint through several dif-
ferent options. If you are
willing to make a large invest-
ment, photovoltaic systems -
which produces electricity
from sunlight, and wind gener-
ation may be a viable choice.
When a customer produces
their own energy source, be it
through sun, biomass or wind,
they have an option of selling
their excess back to NWE
through net metering. Net
metering is great for smaller
systems, 50KW or smaller. In
Montana, there are about 550
net metered customers. Final-
ly, the easiest way for NWE
energy customers to reduce
their carbon footprint and
save utility expenses is by
simply being conservative with
electricity by turning lights off,
using a programmable ther-
mostat, unplugging appliances,
using low flow heads and
more. As Mel put it directly:
“The cleanest energy is the
energy we don’t use.”
One of the most predomi-
nant debates in the climate
change arena is energy.
Clean, renewable, biomass,
geo-thermal, photovoltaic,
green tags, are the new
“buzz” words promising a
sustainable future. But what
do they all mean and how do
they apply to Bozeman ener-
gy customers? I had the op-
portunity to sit down with
Mel Kotur, Community Rela-
tions Manager for North-
Western Energy, for some
much needed insight!
NorthWestern Energy cus-
tomer can take advantage of
a garden variety of programs.
My question to Mel was: if I
divided homeowners into
“low income” and “present
owners,” which programs
best fit their conservation
needs? First, with low income
families, Mel explained that
the federal program LIEAP
(Low Income Energy Assis-
tance Program) is the first
place to start! For those who
qualify, LIEAP offers free
weatherization to renters and
home owners. If the custom-
er qualifies through LIEAP,
they can also go through the
HRDC’s (Human Resource
Development Council)
weatherization program,
which NorthWestern Energy
(NWE) funds. As for current
home owners, NWE offers a
Home Energy Audit for cus-
tomers whose space and/or
water heater is delivered by
NWE, who have not had an
audit in the past and their
home is at least five years old.
The audits are an educational
tool to present opportunities
for customers to conserve
energy through best practices
and energy efficient devices.
In addition, over the last sev-
en years, NWE has offered
free weatherization kits once
a year for customers
throughout the state. The kits
in the past have included pro-
grammable thermostats,
caulk, compact fluorescent
light bulbs and weather strip-
ping. Also, NWE offers all of
its customers information on
all available rebates and tax
credits on their website.
From rebates for fluorescent
light bulbs to tax credits for
Energy Star appliances, there
are great savings for individu-
als to capitalize on!
Next, Mel and I discussed
clean and renewable energy
and where it fits in Montana.
NWE has a goal of 15% of
renewable energy by 2015.
NorthWestern Energy
Bozeman Breeze
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
WORKING
GROUPS:
February:
Residential
Building and
Energy
Mel Kotur
Anders Lewendal
Daryl Nourse
Otto Pohl
March
Commercial
Building and
Energy
Jeff Butler
Otto Pohl
Dawn Smith
Dan Stevenson
LeRoy Wilson
April
Transportation
Kevin Barre
Lee Hazelbaker
Chris Naumann
May
Waste Water &
Recycling
Mary Cloud Ammons
Scott Bischke
Bill Murdock
February Sponsor
MacKenzie River Pizza
Company —Downtown
Bozeman Location
By Rebecca Piersol, MCPA Intern
http://www.bozeman.net/bozeman/government/sustainability
www.northwesternenergy.com