Entergy Mississippi Offers Customers Power-to-Save Tools

Winter blew into the state with its typical chilly introduction, leaving many Mississippians challenged with both staying warm and managing the costs that go with it.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. reminds customers to save money and stay comfortable by following a few simple steps.

"Heating a home can account for as much as half of your monthly energy bill," said Gloria Johnson, customer service director for Entergy Mississippi, Inc. "Cold air can be an expensive, unwanted visitor, finding its way through many openings that often go unnoticed, such as wall seams, attic doors, and electrical outlets.
"Small spaces can add up to big energy losses."

While there are many things homeowners can do to protect themselves from cold weather, here are the top five energy-savers:

Adjust the thermostat. During winter months, set the thermostat to 68 degrees. Every degree higher can add three percent to your energy bill.

Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium. Insulate pipes running to and from the heater and check for leaky faucets.

Replace air and furnace filters every 30 days. Air conditioning and heating remain the top energy cost for a home, so keeping them in good condition makes sense.

Use energy-efficient bulbs when replacing light bulbs. Entergy recommends ENERGY STAR(r)-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs, which use 70 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Seal and insulate your attic and any location where there may be a path from the inside of your home to the outside. That includes places you may not think of - such as attic hatchways, electrical outlets and switches.

Find answers to a variety of energy-related topics, including what influences energy costs in a home. Entergy also encourages customers to consider one of the many billing options the company already has in place that can simplify managing and paying monthly energy bills. Level Billing protects against spikes in electricity bills even when usage is higher than normal. Pick-A-Date allows customers to choose a due date that is most convenient for them.

Entergy Mississippi, Inc. provides electricity to more than 435,000 customers in 45 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations.

Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.