December 2008 Customer Connection
The following topics were covered in your issue of December's Customer Connection:
- Holiday Message from President
- Safety Message
- Stay Safe While Staying Warm This Heating Season
- Get a Discount on First Alert CO Detectors
- Notice for Electric Customers in Wisconsin
- Recipe: Angel Food Candy
Wishing You the Season's Best
At this joyous time of the year, all of us at Wisconsin Public Service wish you and your family the brightest of holiday seasons. As we enter the New Year, we look forward to the good things it holds for each of us.
Sincerely,
Charlie Schrock
President & CEO
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is colorless and odorless, so you CAN'T see or smell it. But that doesn't make it any less deadly. So before you start up your furnace each fall:
- Have it inspected by a heating professional
- Know the signs of CO poisoning
- Have at least one CO detector on every floor
800-450-7260
Visit our safety section for more information.
Stop. Think. Live.
Stay Safe While Staying Warm This Heating Season
With the arrival of winter, customers turn to their heating systems for indoor comfort and warmth during the colder months. Besides keeping your heating equipment in top operating condition, here are some additional items you should consider to ensure a warm, comfortable and safe heating season.
Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
- Install a quality carbon monoxide (CO) detector with a digital display, along with a smoke detector. Both should have a battery back-up system, in case the power goes out.
- Both detectors should be made by a reputable manufacturer and should be UL (Underwriters Laboratory, Inc.) approved.
- If there is only one CO detector installed, it should be located in the common area where people sleep, like in a hallway that leads to multiple bedrooms.
- Purchase an all-purpose fire extinguisher for each floor of a home.
Heating Equipment
An annual check-up of your heating systems and equipment by a reputable heating and cooling mechanic is also advised. The mechanic will run tests and inspect your equipment so that it is operating safely, as well as efficiently. This can save you money in operating costs, resulting in lower heating bills.
Supplemental Heating Source
Unvented Heaters
Unvented heaters are sold in many retail outlets and come in many shapes and sizes, including portable kerosene, space heaters and unvented fireplaces. These unvented heating units can be dangerous, even deadly, if not used properly.
If you're considering purchasing a supplemental heating source to keep your home warm, you should check first with your local building safety codes, and then with your home insurance provider. For customers in the state of Wisconsin, you should know that the use of unvented heaters and fireplaces in single-family homes built after June of 1980 is prohibited. This is due to concerns about oxygen depletion; contamination from carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and other combustion related contaminants; and water vapor buildups.
For More Information
If you would like more information about natural gas or electric safety, please contact 24-Hour Customer Service at 800-450-7260 or visit our Safety for Homes.
Get a Discount on First Alert CO Alarms
At Wisconsin Public Service, one of our responsibilities as your energy provider is to help you keep your home as safe as possible.
We've recently partnered with First Alert to offer you a 10 percent discount on all of their carbon monoxide (CO) detectors and combination smoke/CO detectors. To gather more information and take advantage of this special offer, visit CO Alarm Discount.
Notice for Electric Customers in Wisconsin
Annual Statement of the Low Income Public Benefits Programs
Your electric bill includes a monthly fee for the Public Benefits Fund, which was established to help reduce energy use in Wisconsin.
This fee appears on your electric bill as the "WI Low-Income Assistance Fee." During the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008, Wisconsin Public Service collected a total of $12,610,355 from residential and non-residential customers in support of Public Benefits programs.
Home Energy Plus programs help families and individuals with limited incomes throughout the State of Wisconsin. Managed by the Department of Administration, the programs are delivered to eligible households through county human and social services agencies, community action agencies, tribal governments and other non-profit organizations. The ultimate goal of all low-income energy programs is to make the households energy self-sufficient; that is, to provide services that help households meet their energy costs on an ongoing basis without sacrificing other necessities.
- Assistance with Electric Bills
- Electric Assistance is a one-time annual payment intended to pay a portion of a household's electric costs. The amount of the benefit is dependent on the household income, size of the household, and electric costs incurred by the household.
- Crisis Assistance
- Crisis assistance is available to eligible state residents who are subject to a disconnection of their utility service, or who are nearly out of heating fuel and do not have any way to pay for the fuel or fuel bill. Crisis Assistance provides both emergency services and proactive services. Emergency services helps during the heating season (October 1 through May 15) by purchasing heating fuel for a household, providing a warm place for a customer to stay for a few days, providing furnace repair/replacement or taking other actions that help in a heating emergency.
- Weatherization Services
- Weatherization services help reduce home energy costs by reducing home energy consumption. This makes homes more comfortable — warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The reduction in consumption reduces the customer costs and also reduces overall consumption, which benefits all customers. Common weatherization services include attic and side-wall insulation, reducing air leakage into and out of the home, heating system repair or replacement, refrigerator and freezer replacement, energy-efficient light bulbs and water-saving measures.
For more information regarding the Public Benefits Fund or Home Energy Plus programs, please call 866-HEATWIS (432-8947).
Recipe Corner: Angel Food Candy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup dark Karo syrup
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- 2 tbsp. baking soda (fresh, not from an old box)
- Dipping chocolate
Combine sugar, Karo syrup, and vinegar in a heavy-gauge saucepan (2 qt. size), and cook over medium heat, stirring only until sugar is dissolved. Place candy thermometer in pan, and keep on medium heat until it reaches 300 degrees.
While waiting for candy to get to the right temperature, grease a jelly roll pan. When candy is 300 degrees, immediately remove from heat and stir in baking soda quickly with a wooden spoon. Then quickly pour into jelly roll pan. DO NOT SPREAD.
Let cool 1 hour. Break up with a large fork into 1 to 1 ½" pieces. Dip into melted dipping chocolate. Set on waxed cookie sheets to let set. Store in airtight container.