Water heaters: Make smart decisions and saveIf you are buying a new water heater, select a natural gas water heater if possible. Gas heats water at about half the cost of electricity and twice as fast.

º Focus on Energy has cash-back rewards for qualifying water heaters and for switching from electric to gas water heating. Visit focusonenergy.com or call 1-800-762-7077 for more information on these incentives.

Are you a candidate for an on-demand unit? On-demand water heaters work immediately but don’t store hot water. They can save about 25% in gas costs—about $40 to $70 a year—in a typical household. However, their installed cost can be about $1,000 more than tank-style heaters.

If you have an electric water heater, MGE offers a time-of-use rate option that could save energy costs if you mostly use your large electric appliances (water heater, clothes dryer, dehumidifier) on weekends or weekdays between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m.

º Call the MGE Energy Line at (608) 252-7117 with any questions or to request a copy of our Water Heaters booklet.

º Or download a PDF version at your convenience online at mge.com/brochures.

Para información sobre bajar sus costos de energía, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

www.mge.com/mgesource

(Continues inside)

Madison Gas and Electric Company

As summer heats up, you can still save energy and keep comfortableYou don’t need to overheat your budget to achieve summer comfort in your home. Control costs and energy use with these easy steps:

º Ease summer demand. Don’t over cool with your air conditioner.

» Set your thermostat as high as is comfortable, preferably to 78°F or higher when you’re home and up to 85°F or turned off when you’re away. If we all reduce our air conditioner use by 10% this summer, we could save enough electricity to power 2,400 homes.

» Run a whole house fan, room or ceiling fans. Turn off ceiling and room fans when no one is in the room.

» Use shades and drapes to block direct sunlight during the day.

Madison Gas and Electric Co.

®mge>sourcemge>sourcePerformance winner highlights Green View’s summer viewing The recent winners of a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® audit are featured in the latest MGE video on Green View, MGE’s online energy channel.

º Get an expert’s view of what’s causing an inefficient home to use more energy. The winning family received a detailed audit of their home — conducted by an certified energy inspector — valued at $400.

º See for yourself. Watch the video of this Home Performance audit at mge.com/greenview.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® puts homeowners in touch with an objective, third-party consultant who will recommend specific energy efficiency improvements to make their homes safer and more comfortable while saving money and protecting the environment.

For more information or to find a consultant in your area, call 1-800-762-7077.

Create cool savings while adding summer comfort

July-August 2011

Save and keep comfortable (cont.)

Printed on recycled paper.

ºPrevent excess humidity in the first place.

»Close windows and doors to keep the humid, hot air outside from coming inside.

»Vent to the outside. Kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans as well as clothes dryers should vent to the outside.

»Increase air circulation in damp areas.

»Put a timer on your dehumidifier so it controls humidity without running nonstop. (For added savings, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR

® label when purchasing a new

dehumidifier.)

ºUnplug that second refrigerator if not needed. That old fridge uses significantly more energy. Savings from unplugging it are typically $5 to $10 per month.

ºTo save energy, turn off lights, the television and other devices when they’re not in use.

ºUnplug standby-powered products that are not needed. Modern electronics often draw energy when turned off so they can power on quickly and retain certain settings.

ºConsider taking advantage of off-peak rates. If you do most of your home chores late at night or can switch significant electric use to off-peak times, you may be able to save money by converting to time-of-use rates. Go online to mge.com/tou for details.

Para información sobre bajar sus costos de energía, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

Check which you want to receive:

■ Exterior Wall Insulation

■ Finishing Basements

Help for your basement and exterior walls »MGE’s Exterior Wall Insulation fact sheet offers insights into

the benefits and considerations behind insulating your home’s exterior walls.

» Our Finishing Basements fact sheet offers tips to achieving the most energy savings when finishing your basement.

To obtain a free copy, complete and include this form with your bill payment. Or download them at mge.com/brochures.

Online convenience: View your account and energy use whenever you like July-August 2011

Name:

Address:

City: State: ZIP:

Phone:

‘My Account’ at mge.com is for youMGE offers online homeowner account access through mge.com’s “My Account” section.

ºView and pay your MGE bill. MGE uses CheckFree™, the Web’s largest and most secure processor, to provide this service.

ºView and compare your energy use. Once you’ve registered and signed in to access your account through MGE’s My Account, you can:

»See and graph past electricity and natural gas use.

»Download energy and billing data for your account.

»Compare home heating efficiency with the averages of other natural gas customers.

ºAvailable online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Take the lead with LED fixtures and save with a cash-back rebateFocus on Energy is now offering $25 cash-back rewards on LED lighting products. Qualifying units are listed at Focus on Energy’s Web site.

ºSave $25 per fixture, limit 24 per customer. For more information, or to request a cash-back form:

»Call the Focus on Energy Information Center at 1-800-762-7077.

»E-mail Focus at ESinfo@focusonenergy.com.

»Check out the Cash-Back Rewards tab at focusonenergy.com.

Para información, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

BRAND STANDARDS

and STYLE GUIDE

MAY 2011 • PART ONE

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YM

CK

Water heaters: Make smart decisions and saveIf you are buying a new water heater, select a natural gas water heater if possible. Gas heats water at about half the cost of electricity and twice as fast.

ºFocus on Energy has cash-back rewards for qualifying water heaters and for switching from electric to gas water heating. Visit focusonenergy.com or call 1-800-762-7077 for more information on these incentives.

Are you a candidate for an on-demand unit? On-demand water heaters work immediately but don’t store hot water. They can save about 25% in gas costs—about $40 to $70 a year—in a typical household. However, their installed cost can be about $1,000 more than tank-style heaters.

If you have an electric water heater, MGE offers a time-of-use rate option that could save energy costs if you mostly use your large electric appliances (water heater, clothes dryer, dehumidifier) on weekends or weekdays between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m.

ºCall the MGE Energy Line at (608) 252-7117 with any questions or to request a copy of our Water Heaters booklet.

ºOr download a PDF version at your convenience online at mge.com/brochures.

Para información sobre bajar sus costos de energía, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

www.mge.com/mgesource

(Continues inside)

Madison Gas and Electric Company

As summer heats up, you can still save energy and keep comfortableYou don’t need to overheat your budget to achieve summer comfort in your home. Control costs and energy use with these easy steps:

ºEase summer demand. Don’t over cool with your air conditioner.

»Set your thermostat as high as is comfortable, preferably to 78°F or higher when you’re home and up to 85°F or turned off when you’re away. If we all reduce our air conditioner use by 10% this summer, we could save enough electricity to power 2,400 homes.

»Run a whole house fan, room or ceiling fans. Turn off ceiling and room fans when no one is in the room.

»Use shades and drapes to block direct sunlight during the day.

Madison Gas and Electric Co.

® mge>source mge>sourcePerformance winner highlights Green View’s summer viewing The recent winners of a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR

® audit are featured in the latest

MGE video on Green View, MGE’s online energy channel.

ºGet an expert’s view of what’s causing an inefficient home to use more energy. The winning family received a detailed audit of their home — conducted by an certified energy inspector — valued at $400.

ºSee for yourself. Watch the video of this Home Performance audit at mge.com/greenview.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®

puts homeowners in touch with an objective, third-party consultant who will recommend specific energy efficiency improvements to make their homes safer and more comfortable while saving money and protecting the environment.

For more information or to find a consultant in your area, call 1-800-762-7077.

Create cool savings while adding summer comfort

July-August 2011

Save and keep comfortable (cont.)

Printed on recycled paper.

º Prevent excess humidity in the first place.

» Close windows and doors to keep the humid, hot air outside from coming inside.

» Vent to the outside. Kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans as well as clothes dryers should vent to the outside.

» Increase air circulation in damp areas.

» Put a timer on your dehumidifier so it controls humidity without running nonstop. (For added savings, be sure to look for the ENERGY STAR® label when purchasing a new dehumidifier.)

º Unplug that second refrigerator if not needed. That old fridge uses significantly more energy. Savings from unplugging it are typically $5 to $10 per month.

º To save energy, turn off lights, the television and other devices when they’re not in use.

º Unplug standby-powered products that are not needed. Modern electronics often draw energy when turned off so they can power on quickly and retain certain settings.

º Consider taking advantage of off-peak rates. If you do most of your home chores late at night or can switch significant electric use to off-peak times, you may be able to save money by converting to time-of-use rates. Go online to mge.com/tou for details.

Para información sobre bajar sus costos de energía, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

Check which you want to receive:

■ Exterior Wall Insulation

■ Finishing Basements

Help for your basement and exterior walls » MGE’s Exterior Wall Insulation fact sheet offers insights into

the benefits and considerations behind insulating your home’s exterior walls.

» Our Finishing Basements fact sheet offers tips to achieving the most energy savings when finishing your basement.

To obtain a free copy, complete and include this form with your bill payment. Or download them at mge.com/brochures.

Online convenience: View your account and energy use whenever you likeJuly-August 2011

Name:

Address:

City: State: ZIP:

Phone:

‘My Account’ at mge.com is for youMGE offers online homeowner account access through mge.com’s “My Account” section.

º View and pay your MGE bill. MGE uses CheckFree™, the Web’s largest and most secure processor, to provide this service.

º View and compare your energy use. Once you’ve registered and signed in to access your account through MGE’s My Account, you can:

» See and graph past electricity and natural gas use.

» Download energy and billing data for your account.

» Compare home heating efficiency with the averages of other natural gas customers.

º Available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Take the lead with LED fixtures and save with a cash-back rebateFocus on Energy is now offering $25 cash-back rewards on LED lighting products. Qualifying units are listed at Focus on Energy’s Web site.

º Save $25 per fixture, limit 24 per customer. For more information, or to request a cash-back form:

» Call the Focus on Energy Information Center at 1-800-762-7077.

» E-mail Focus at ESinfo@focusonenergy.com.

» Check out the Cash-Back Rewards tab at focusonenergy.com.

Para información, llame a MGE a (608) 252-7120.

B R A N D S T A N D A R D S

a n d S T Y L E G U I D E

M A Y 2 0 1 1 • P A R T O N E

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YM

CK

How much energy do you use at home?

You have online access to energy-use information

for your home. Up to three years of monthly use is

available. If you heat your home with natural gas you

can compare your use to an average home in our area.

Visit mge.com/energyuse to either sign-in to or register

for “My Account”. It features a section called

“View my energy use”.

GS1334 05/24/2011

your community energy company