Spring 2009

Need help paying your utility bill?

Fuel assistance funds still available The state of Minnesota still has fuel assistance dollars available. To learn whether or not you qualify to receive a portion of these funds to aid in paying your past due or current utility bill, visit: •

The Minnesota Department of Commerce Web site at: www.staywarm.mn.gov; click on Learn more (go to Finding Financial Assistance, click on Energy Assistance Program, then click Download Applications Here); or

•

Call the Energy Assistance Hotline at 1-800-657-3710; or

•

Dial First Call for Help at 211.

“WE LIVE HERE BECAUSE OF OUR AMAZING “ WE LIVE HERE BECAUSE QUALITY OF LIFE. OF OUR AMAZING QUALITY RELIABLE POWER IS A OF LIFE. RELIABLE PART OF THAT.” POWER IS A PART OF THAT.”

RELIABILITY: Being there

You flip the switch, and the power comes on.

The state has extended the application deadline to July 2.

when you need us. Now that’s a Minnesota value.

And it stays on. We’re making significant

investments to our general infrastructure and to our power lines to keep it that way.

RELIABILITY: Being there when you need us. Now that’s a Minnesota Value.

Distribution pole inspections to begin in April Minnesota Power’s routine inspection of distribution poles and lines for the year 2009 will begin in April and continue through November at various locations throughout Minnesota Power’s service territory.

The inspections are performed by Utility Pole Technologies (UPT) employees who move from pole to pole, drilling and treating them as needed. Customers will not be notified prior to an inspection. The inspectors drive clearly marked pickup trucks with the UPT logo on the door. The trucks are marked with a magnetic “Contracted by Minnesota Power” sign, and the inspectors wear high visibility vests and hard hats and a “Contractor for Minnesota Power” name badge as well. These individuals should also have a copy of a letter on Minnesota Power letterhead explaining their work.

If you have questions or concerns relating to the pole inspection process, please call 1-800-228-4966, and ask for Dan Tonder at ext. 5031.

mnpower.com

John Muehlbauer Superintendent of Line Operations

Schedule a tour at Taconite Ridge Wind Energy Center Your school or organization can now schedule a group tour of Minnesota Power’s Taconite Ridge Wind Energy Center— the first commercial wind center in northeastern Minnesota.

The 10 turbines are capable of producing 25 megawatts of renewable energy and are located in central St. Louis County on property owned by United States Steel Corp. near its Minntac mine in Mountain Iron.

• Maximum tour group size: 25 • Minimum age: 12 • Tour days: Tuesdays at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m.

April–September Register for this and many other interesting facility tours at mnpower.com/community/tours.

Energize your business with a Minnesota Power

Updating or installing new electric service at home or your business?

Minnesota Power awards grants to commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers who use innovative technologies, improve manufacturing processes, undertake renewable electric energy projects, or who need project design assistance. Grants are available for a wide variety of projects employing diverse technologies. Following are examples of activities or products that could qualify for Minnesota Power funding under the PowerGrant program:

Since 2004, Minnesota Power has required all new or replaced residential and commercial meter sockets to be of heavy-duty lever bybass type (see photo) with a clamping jaw. This impacts ALL new and existing residential services, whether wired by an electrician or a homeowner, with these exceptions:

• New electrotechnologies that lower energy costs per unit of production in a manufacturing process • New innovative technologies that are underutilized in our regional marketplace • The inclusion of energy-efficient options in the design phase of a project With help from Minnesota Power’s PowerGrant program, Magnum Machining of Deer River, MN, converted to energy-efficient lighting with lighting controls at an estimated savings of over $15,000 in annual energy costs. A PowerGrant rebate of $16,298 from Minnesota Power will shorten payback to less than two years.

See how other businesses have benefited from our PowerGrants: mnpower.com/powergrant.

Be sure to use MP approved meter bases

• Temporary service intended for one year or less when constructing a new home or business • Service for illuminating signs or billboards • Service for street lighting The device is inherently safer in design and allows all future meter exchanges to be performed without the customer losing power.

In the event that an approved meter base is not installed on a customer’s premises, Minnesota Power personnel cannot set the electric meter to initiate service.

Questions? Call Minnesota Power’s “New Construction Center” at 1-877-535-0394.

Water heating: save energy—save water Tax credits available for heat pumps The recently passed federal stimulus bill targets energyefficient ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps for a 30 percent tax credit. (Applies to units put in service from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010.) Visit energystar.gov for more information.

Water heating uses 15–25 percent of the average home’s total energy. Lowering the temperature on your hot water heater or dishwasher can really add up to savings on your energy bill. Learn more about water energy saving tips at mnpower.com/h20.

Check out Minnesota Power rebates on the purchase of energy and water saving clothes washers and water heat recovery units at mnpower.com/foundmoney.

Plant the right tree in the right place We’d like to send you a copy of a handy 16-page booklet that helps homeowners, businesses, and other landowners select and place trees. It is important to avoid planting trees that will grow into power lines.

Before planting on your property this season, you’ll want to take a look at The Right Tree brochure. To receive a copy, call toll-free, 1-800-228-4966, or visit our Web site: mnpower.com/treebook.

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG—800-252-1166, or go to gopherstateonecall.org Whether you’re planning construction, landscaping, fencing, or any type of digging around your home, you must call Gopher State One Call (GSOC) to locate buried electric, natural gas, telephone, or utility lines. Coming in contact with utility lines can be extremely dangerous or fatal, and repairs to damaged lines can be costly.

If you are unaware of the location of private lines on your property, you will need to hire a line locator. Check the GSOC Web site, or call them for a list of locators statewide.

ENG09