It’s January in Iowa – always a good time to remind your customers about how they can save on their utility bills. Include tips on utility statements, social media platforms (if you have them), websites, on-hold recordings, in the signature block on your emails, etc.

Here are a few to consider:

• Seal around openings, such as electrical outlets, baseboards, and attic hatches, to make your home less drafty. Caulking leaks can save an average household 10 to 20 percent on annual heating and cooling bills. Weather-stripping windows can save you an additional 5 to 10 percent annually on heating and cooling bills.
• Close curtains during the winter to reduce heat loss up to10 percent. However, you may want to open curtains on sunlit windows during the day to boost temperatures from solar energy. Just be sure to close curtains at night or on windows that don’t get much sun.
• Lower your thermostat by seven to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day to save up to 10 percent annually on your heating and cooling bills.
• Lowering the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees while you sleep can also help save roughly10 percent on your heating bills.
• Inspect and replace your furnace filter regularly. Make sure your furnace filter is clean, so the equipment isn’t working harder than it needs to be.
• Use the energy saver mode on your devices, appliances, and even some heating equipment to easily reduce energy consumption without sacrificing performance.
• Use cold water for laundry and wash full loads to save on energy and water heating.
• Don’t open the oven door to check on food. This could cause the temperature to drop as much as 25 degrees, requiring more energy to heat up again.
• Lower the temperature on your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees. You can save on energy without noticing a difference in temperature.

We often think about external communications with customers, but internal communications with employees is just as important for any organization, including utilities. Communications with employees shouldn’t be a once-in-awhile idea. Strive to connect with coworkers daily through some type of communications. This can help to promote a positive workplace culture.

But how do you communicate daily (and without annoying people)?

There are a few simple ways to connect with employees that take less than a minute investment on people’s part to read/see the message.

• Consider delivering a good mix of employee news nuggets, tips (for work and life in general), and inspirational quotes. Don’t rely exclusive on just one style.
• Designate a time each day for your communications. Maybe it’s first thing in the morning, just before lunch, or in the last hour of the workday before employees head home.

Push out your messages through:

• Email, if your participants have work email addresses
• Texts, if you’ve created a list of participants’ cellphone numbers
• Facebook, if you have a private Group page for employees
• Small posters (printed on 8 ½ x 11-inch paper) that you post in break rooms and restrooms, and at employee entrances to your building(s)

Don’t be afraid to use a combination of all four ways to reach employees. Because the messages are brief, people likely won’t mind seeing them in more than one place. And, it could always serve to reinforce what you’re trying to communicate. In addition to words (in the form of a news item, tip, quote), you may want to include an attention-catching image.

With today’s forecast for high winds in major portions of the state, you may want to take the opportunity to provide customers with a few important safety tips, particularly those related to down power lines. Here is what the National Weather Service includes on its website:

In the event of downed power lines:

• Call for help. Report downed lines to your local utility emergency center and to the police. Do not try to free lines or to remove debris yourself.
• Avoid anything that may be touching downed lines, including vehicles or tree branches. Puddles and even wet or snow-covered ground can conduct electricity in some cases. Warn others to stay away.
• If you see someone who has been shocked who may be in direct or indirect contact with a power line, do not try to touch them. You may become a second victim. Get medical attention as quickly as possible by calling 911.
• If a line falls on your car, stay inside the vehicle. Take care not to touch any of the metal frame of your vehicle. Honk your horn, roll down the window and warn anyone who may approach of the danger. Ask someone to call the police. Do not exit the car until help arrives, unless the car catches fire. To exit, open the door, but do not step out. Jump, without touching any metal portion of the car’s exterior, to safe ground and get quickly away.