energyconnections - NorthWestern Energy

ENERGY CONNECTIONS
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Centennial celebrations
wrap-up
This summer we celebrated the 100th
anniversary of our Ryan hydroelectric
facility and the centennial of our
Hebgen dam and reservoir.
Events held in conjunction with the
Ryan celebration included a tree
planting along the River’s Edge Trail,
unveiling of a commissioned Monte
Dolack painting and posters, and
a community event at Ryan Island
complete with powerhouse tours, hot
dogs, kids’ activities and speeches.
Close to 600 people joined in our
Ryan celebration, located near Great
Falls, Montana.
Then on August 26, we officially
celebrated the centennial of our
Hebgen dam and reservoir with a
barbecue luncheon, facility tours and
– of course – speeches. The main event took place at the Kirkwood Marina, which
is a couple of miles east of the dam.
Close
to
100
people attended
the luncheon, with
more than half of
them taking part in
the facilities tour in
which they learned
about the Hebgen
construction
project currently
underway.
Posters celebrating our hydroelectric
future are available at walk-in office
locations
Posters of a painting commissioned
by NorthWestern Energy to celebrate
Montana’s hydroelectric facilities now
are available for sale in our Montana
walk-in offices and in South Dakota and
Nebraska by calling and inquiring with
customer service.
Early this year, NorthWestern Energy had
commissioned renowned Montana artist
Monte Dolack to create a painting to
commemorate the company’s purchase
of 11 Montana hydroelectric facilities late
in 2014. The painting, titled Clean Energy,
highlights the long history of hydroelectric
production in the state. It depicts Black
Eagle Dam, one of the five NorthWestern
hydro facilities in the Great Falls area.
Unsigned and signed posters are
available for sale with all proceeds going
to three groups: The River’s Edge Trail,
the Madison River Foundation and the
Montana Land Reliance. An unsigned
poster costs $25, while a version signed
by Monte sells for $75.
Thanks for visiting us at the fair!
August and September are the season for end-of-summer fairs, giving NorthWestern Energy employees another opportunity to meet
our customers and answer questions. NorthWestern Energy once again had a big presence at the South Dakota State Fair, the
Nebraska State Fair and the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen. Aberdeen and Huron fair goers were treated to a new Call Before You
Dig display, providing children and adults an opportunity to dig around in our big sandbox with pretend utilities buried beneath the
sand. If the shovel operator hit one of the buried utility lines, a light and an alarm would sound off showing them which underground
utility they struck with their shovels and reminding them of what might happen when you forget to call 811 before digging anywhere.
We also asked people who stopped by our display to take a short survey about our natural gas safety advertising. We would like to
thank those that participated in the survey, making our advertising more understandable and impactful for the future. Those who
agreed to take the five-minute survey also had an opportunity to choose from an array of giveaway items. The hot item this year was a
neon-colored 811 T-shirt. You might even see people wearing them in your community.
At the South Dakota State Fair, we once again sponsored the NorthWestern Energy Freedom
Stage, which brought free entertainment throughout the week of festivities. Hope you enjoyed
the shows as much as we did!
Safety
message for
changing
seasons
Just as the leaves begin to change, so does
our focus on safety. School is back in session
and our lives seem busier than ever. Please
take a moment to consider the following:
• Help keep our community safe. Be extra
cautious while driving in school zones.
• Fall weather is unpredictable! Make sure
you’re prepared for an outage by keeping our
contact information handy. Now is the perfect
time to sign-up for a My Energy Account
so you can report any service interruptions
anytime from anywhere.
• Hunt safely by always being aware of your
surroundings. Look up, look out, and look
around for power lines and power equipment.
See a downed line? Stay away, warn others
and call 911 immediately.
• Ensure your meter is free and clear of all
debris.
Carbon monoxide safety
reminder
Under normal operating conditions, natural gas burns cleanly, producing heat, carbon
dioxide, and water vapor. Natural gas is non-toxic and is the cleanest burning fossil
fuel available. However, if natural gas isn’t burning properly or the appliance has a
mechanical problem, it can create a dangerous hazard.
Incomplete combustion of natural gas produces carbon monoxide (CO), which is
an odorless, poisonous, and potentially fatal gas. Some indicators of incomplete
combustion are a yellow flame (blue is normal) or burning odors and soot around the
front of the furnace or water heater.
If you or other members of the household feel out of breath, dizzy, nauseous and have
headaches, you could be suffering from CO poisoning; get fresh air immediately, then
call NorthWestern Energy or 911.
The return of the phantom
powers!
Don’t let energy vampires ruin your fall, take charge by following our Facebook page
to get some great energy efficiency tips that will help keep them away. Plus, starting
October 1, we’re giving our Facebook fans a chance to win a killer ENERGY STARrated 50-inch TV, smart strip and spooky movie prize package! Don’t miss out – visit
our Facebook page today and follow the contest all month long.
Contact us...
MONTANA
Customer Contact Center (888) 467-2669
7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F
Emergency 24/7 Service
Call Before You Dig 811
Energy Efficiency (800) 823-5995
NEBRASKA
Customer Contact Center (800) 245-6977
7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F
Emergency 24/7 Service
Call Before You Dig 811
SOUTH DAKOTA
Customer Contact Center (800) 245-6977
7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F
Emergency 24/7 Service
Call Before You Dig 811
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Energy Connections Editor | 40 E. Broadway Street | Butte, MT 59701 | [email protected] | www.northwesternenergy.com