Village of New Glarus

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Resources

Supplying our customers with a reliable, cost-efficient electric and water source is just one of New Glarus Utilities’ goals. Our civic pride and commitment to excellent customer service extends to making New Glarus a better place to live and work. We are proud to be able to contribute to the development, growth, and well being of our community.

We have ideas that will help you save money and energy!

Renewable Energy Program

You can contribute to a cleaner environment and sustainable energy future by investing a few dollars every month in our Renewable Energy Program. It doesn’t require new equipment, any changes in how you use or receive energy, or any long-term commitments. What could be simpler? Best of all, by supporting renewable energy, you can help ensure a good quality of life for your family and your community for generations to come. Every dollar you invest in renewable energy is used to foster the growth of renewable resources.

Residential Conservation Programs

Using less energy and water is important for all of us and can make a big difference on your monthly utility bill and on the environment as a whole. We can reduce our dependency on foreign oil, reduce our energy and water costs, and reduce air pollution, if we all do our part to use a little less electricity and/or water.

In cooperation with Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy, New Glarus Utilities offers a variety of programs to aide you in reducing your energy and/or water consumption in your home; thus helping you save money and protect the environment.

To contact Focus of Energy directly:

Call: 1-800-762-7077 or Email: focusinfo@focusonenergy.com

Tree Power

Did you know that trees can save you energy and money? Properly planted around your home, shade trees can lower your cooling costs in summer. Trees that shade the South or West side of the building can reduce air conditioning costs in summer. When the leaves fall in the winter, the bare trees allow warm sunlight to reach your home.

Deduct/Second Meter

Do you want to save more on your utility bills….well stop paying sewer charges for water used to water your garden, wash your car, etc. Install a deduct meter today. Deduct meters allow the utility to only charge water (not sewer) expenses on water used outside of the home that goes into the ground and not into the sewer system.

Lead Public Education

For more information regarding Lead in your drinking water please click here.

Home Energy Suite

The Home Energy Suite is an online tool that includes the Home Energy Calculator, Energy Library, Interactive House, Kids Korner and more. The Home Energy Suite offers 24/7 access to energy answers and provides one-stop-shopping for your energy information needs.

Use the tools to calculate the estimated cost of energy use in your home. Then use this information to better manage your energy use and costs associated with that use.

Home Energy Calculator

This quick and easy calculator demonstrates how much you can save by making simple changes in your home and lifestyle. The calculator provides you with estimated energy savings under various scenarios, such as upgrading your heating system or adding insulation to your home. Just provide current information on your home, then click Calculate to establish your base home energy costs. Change your inputs to create new scenarios and calculate again to see potential energy savings.

Lighting Calculator

Learn how energy-efficient CFLs can save you money on your lighting usage by comparing them to traditional incandescent bulbs. The Lighting Calculator shows dollar savings, carbon savings and total ownership cost over 10 years.

TV Calculator

This calculator shows you the energy costs of plasma and LCD big screen TVs compared to traditional TVs.

Appliance Calculator

Learn how an individual appliance contributes to your energy bill or run a collective calculation for multiple appliances in your home.

Kids Korner

For kids and adults! Containing everything from energy-themed games to Teacher Lesson Plans. Kids Korner creates a rich kid-friendly environment to facilitate in energy education.

Interactive Energy Home

Use this interactive tool to easily locate information about energy use throughout your home. Each room includes tips and improvement ideas.

Fundamentals of Electricity

Basic electricity fundamentals and how the electric utility industry generates and delivers power to its customers covering Basics, Delivery, Safety and Generation

Green Power

Learn how the purchase of blocks of renewable energy is equivalent to tons of aluminum recycled, tons of newspaper recycled, tons of glass recycled, barrels of oil not used, tons of coal not used, acres of forest planted and months of not driving a car.

Home Energy Library

The Energy Library is a useful source of tips and information for those interested in learning about conservation. Increasingly, residential customers are looking for products, services and information about conserving power and energy efficiency – and the Energy Library offers low-cost or no-cost ways to save money on your electric bill. The Energy Library features home energy-use tips for both new construction and existing homeowners. Water heaters, kitchen appliances, doors, windows, insulation and even new electric technologies are among the subjects covered.

Renewable Energy

Would you like to make a difference? It’s easy and affordable with our Renewable Energy Program.

Why renewable energy?

It’s clean. The more energy we use from renewable resources, the less we will need to rely on fossil-fuel based energy. We can reduce carbon dioxide emissions — which contribute to climate change — and keep the air that we breathe cleaner.
It’s secure. Renewable energy is in use all over the country and has proven reliable. And because it’s produced from resources that are available here at home, renewable energy can increase our energy independence.
It’s sustainable. Renewable energy sources such as wind, water, biogas and solar can never be depleted. That’s simply not true of conventional generation sources such as coal, oil and natural gas. If we want to ensure an unlimited supply of energy resources for future generations, renewable energy is the way to go.

Where does our renewable energy come from?

Through our membership in WPPI Energy, a regional power company serving Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Iowa, we have access to energy from the following renewable resources:

Wind. Wind energy, the fastest growing source of renewable energy, comes from wind turbines and is 100 percent emission-free.
Biogas. Landfill gas is converted into electricity, significantly reducing methane (a greenhouse gas) and lessening air pollution.
Solar. Energy from the sun is converted into electrical energy without producing any emissions.

Our Renewable Energy Program is Green-e Energy certified. Green-e Energy was established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions to provide information and an objective standard for consumers to compare renewable energy options, and to verify that consumers get what they pay for.

For more information, call (888) 63-GREEN or visit www.green-e.org or contact our WPPI Energy representative, Beth Carlson, at (608) 834-4500 or via email at bcarlson@wppienergy.org.

Visit our Green Power Calculator and learn how the purchase of blocks of renewable energy is equivalent to tons of aluminum recycled, tons of newspaper recycled, tons of glass recycled, barrels of oil not used, tons of coal not used, acres of forest planted and months of not driving a car.

Stand up and be counted. Future generations will thank you.

Our Renewable Energy Program makes it easy to invest in a secure energy future and a cleaner environment. You can participate at whatever level you’d like, change your participation level at any time, or withdraw from the program with no cancellation fee. .

Two dollars per block is all it takes

To get started, just select the number of blocks of renewable energy you wish to purchase. You pay just $2.00 additional per month for each block of renewable energy, the equivalent of 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh). For example, if you sign up for two blocks, an additional renewable charge of $4.00 will appear on your monthly bill. Participation is optional; buy as much or as little as you’d like.

Even a modest purchase has a big impact. Purchasing just two blocks of renewable energy per month, for an entire year, is like offsetting 100 percent of your car’s emissions.

Sign up today

To participate, simply download and complete the RESPONSE FORM, fold the sheet into thirds and mail it, postage-paid.

If you have any questions, please contact our WPPI Energy representative, Beth Carlson, at (608) 834-4500 or via email at bcarlson@wppienergy.org.

Energy & Water Saving Tips

Reducing your energy and water use is the easiest way to save money on your utility bill. Our energy and water saving tips will show you how to cut your energy and water use while staying comfortable.

In the Kitchen

If you have a second refrigerator or freezer, consider getting rid of it. Each one can add more than $100 a year to your energy bill.
When cooking, use pots & pans that are properly sized to the burners and for the amount of food you are cooking.
Avoid opening the oven while food is cooking. Each time you open that door; the oven temperature is lowered approximately 25 degrees.
Check the seal on your refrigerator door by closing a dollar bill in it. If you can pull the bill out easily, it’s time to replace the gaskets.
Check temperature settings for your appliances. Refrigerator temperature should be 36-38 degrees and freezer temperature should be 0-5 degrees. Refrigerator thermometers are included in our Free Energy & Water Saving Kits.
Arrange items in your refrigerator for quick removal and return.
Air-dry your dishes in the dishwasher. Allowing dishes to air-dry can save 50% of the energy used to run the dishwasher.
Prepare food efficiently. Speed cleaning food by using a vegetable brush. Spray water in short bursts. Faucet aerators cut consumption.
Defrost sensibly. Plan ahead to defrost foods overnight in the refrigerator. Don’t use running water.
Reduce dishwashing. Use a rubber spatula to scrape dishes clean to limit pre-rinsing. Let really dirty pans or dishes soak to speed up washing. Limit dishwasher use to full loads.
Use hot water efficiently. Letting water run from the faucet until it heats up is a waste. Instead of sending it down the drain, capture clean water for other uses.
Use ice to cool water. Cool drinking water in refrigerator or with ice, not by running tap. Use leftover drinking water for pets or to water plants.
Avoid using garbage disposals. Compost or feed leftovers to pets when possible. Use recycled water in disposal.

Heating Your Home

Set your thermostat no higher than 68 degrees when you are home and lower the temperature a few degrees when you go to bed or when not at home. One easy way to do this is to purchase a programmable thermostat that automatically lowers and raises your temperature on a set schedule.
Weatherize your home by caulking and weather-stripping all doors and windows. Also use the locks on your windows to make them tighter and draft resistant.
Add foam gaskets behind all outlet covers and switch-plates. Also, use safety plugs in all unused outlets.
Insulate or increase the amount of insulation in your attic, basement, and outside walls.
Cover through-the-wall air conditioners to prevent cold air from leaking in your home.
Keep shades and curtains open during the day on the south side of your home to allow solar heating. Close them at night to retain heat.
Don’t block your radiators or heating vents with furniture or draperies. Keep your radiators, registers, and baseboard heaters dirt and dust free. Place a sheet of aluminum foil between the radiator and the wall to reflect heat back into the room.
Close vents and doors in unused rooms.
Have your heating system serviced once a year and regularly replace furnace filters. During the heating season, filters should be changed or cleaned once a month.

Laundry/Bathroom

Clean the dryer’s lint filter after each use. This allows the air to circulate efficiently.
Wash only full loads and use cold water. Use hot water only for very dirty loads, and always use the cold water rinse cycle.
Only wash a full load of clothes.
Check your toilet tanks for leaks at least twice a year
Turn the water off. Don’t let it run when you brush your teeth.
Take showers instead of baths, and limit shower times. A five-minute shower will use about 7.5 gallons of hot water, while filling a bathtub can use up to 20 gallons.
Install water-saving, low-flow shower heads. They don’t reduce your water pressure and can save a family of 4 approximately $250 a year.
Don’t fill the bath tub all the way up.
Install faucet aerators in all sinks.

Lighting

Turn off lights as soon as you leave a room.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFLs) ones. They use up to 70% less energy and last up to 10 times longer.
Keep lights & fixtures clean, which can improve efficiency as much as 20%.
Take advantage of reflected light by placing portable fixtures near light colored walls or other surfaces.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFLs) ones. They use up to 70% less energy and last up to 10 times longer.
Use task lighting instead of overhead or general lighting.
Keep lamps away from thermostats. The heat produced can cause your furnace to run less than needed, and your air conditioner to run more than normal.

Water Heating

Purchase the correct size water heater.
Set the water heater thermostat to 120 degrees – about halfway between low and medium.
Wrap a fiberglass blanket around your electric water heater. Water heater wrap kits can be purchased at your local hardware store for about $20.
Insulate hot water pipes

Cooling Your Home

Whole-house fans can be installed in the attic or ceiling to pull fresh air through the house.
Locate your air conditioner on the north, east, or best-shaded side of your home. Keep shrubbery away from the air conditioner, since it blocks vents and reduces the unit’s ability to exhaust air.
Make sure your air conditioner is properly sized for your home.
Raise your thermostat in the summer. Raising the thermostat from 73 to 78 degrees can mean savings of up to 15% in cooling costs.
Change your air conditioner filter monthly during heavy use.
Use light colors when painting house and trim.
Plant shade trees. Outside shade can reduce air conditioning costs 30%.
Improve the ventilation in your attic. Install an attic fan.
Open the windows. On mild days and cool, dry nights, open your windows and let the outdoors do the air conditioning for you.
Shut out the heat. Close shades, blinds and draperies on south- and west-facing windows to reduce solar heat gain during the day.
Use a ceiling fan. Set fans to rotate counter-clockwise to push air downward and create a cooling breeze. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms – so you’ll save money by turning fans off when rooms are unoccupied.
Limit indoor cooking on warm days, or just fire up the grill. Use smaller appliances for smaller meals, such as a toaster oven or microwave.
Reduce appliance waste heat. Run heat-producing appliances such as dishwashers and clothes washers at night or early in the morning to avoid adding heat and moisture to your home.
Look for the ENERGY STAR qualified appliances, electronics and lighting save energy and money compared to standard models.

Outside the Home

Wash cars efficiently. Choose a car wash that recycles water. At home, use a shut-off nozzle and wash your car in small sections. Direct runoff to water landscaping.
Water yards wisely. Landscaping benefits most from slow, thorough, infrequent watering. Minimize evaporation by water in early morning or evening. Aerate lawns.
Mulch to retain water. Plant hardy, water-saving plants, trees, and shrubs, particularly native species. Mow less frequently in dry times. Limit lawn by using gravel or bark.
Cover pools and spas to reduce evaporation. Avoid overflows and splashes by reducing water levels. Water landscape with wading pool water.
Conserve when dining out. At restaurants, request only the drinking water you need. At work, fill your durable cup at the water fountain to reduce waste.

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