Steps to Avoid Your Utility Service Shut-Off! you have received a shut-off or disconnect notice, here s what you need to know.

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1 5 If Steps to Avoid Your Utility Service Shut-Off! you have received a shut-off or disconnect notice, here s what you need to know. Step one Don t panic! If this is your first shut-off notice, you usually have 10 days to negotiate a payment plan. You also may delay service shut-off for medical reasons and during extreme weather conditions. Step two CALL A. Call your utility service and explain your situation. B. Share whether there are life-safety issues in the home, such as someone being on oxygen. C. Work with the utility to set up a payment plan. Here are some typical payment plans. A one-ninth plan that allows you to make nine equal monthly payments on the past due amount while paying current charges on a budget bill. The budget bill allows you to pay the same amount each month. A one-sixth plan that allows you to pay one-sixth of past due charges in addition to the total amount of current charges each month for a period of six months. A one-third plan that allows you to pay one-third of your total bill each month (past due amount plus current charges). PIPP Plus (Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus) allows income-eligible customers to pay a percentage of their monthly household income toward their energy bill. Households with an income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible. The payment amount each month is typically six percent of your monthly income for natural gas and six percent for electric. PIPP Plus customers pay the same amount each month and can qualify for reductions in the past-due amounts by paying the gas and electric bill on-time. D. Ask for a referral to the local and state-run emergency assistance organizations. These include the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and local fuel funds.

2 Step THREE ASK FOR HELP Contact the energy assistance organizations you found in Step Two, and follow the instructions they provide to help you avoid utility service shut-off. Step FOUR ASK FOR DISCOUNTS Be sure that any rate discounts or other assistance you are eligible for are being applied to your bills. If you are eligible but have not been receiving the discount on your energy bill, ask the utility to recalculate your bills. Step FIVE MODIFY YOUR PLAN Be sure that the payment plan will work with your situation. If you cannot pay the amount suggested, work with the utility company to modify the plan. If your situation changes later so that you cannot afford payments under the original plan (for example, if you lose your job), contact the utility company again and renegotiate a new payment plan. Additional Things to Keep in Mind Power cannot be shut off for nonpayment on Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and other days when the utility s public offices are closed. You must be notified before your power is shut off. Each utility has different guidelines, but common time frames are a 15-day notice of termination followed by a 48-hour notice. Medical baseline or life support customers should not be disconnected without an in-person visit from a utility representative. When disconnection of utility service would be especially dangerous to your health or the health of someone in your home or would prevent the operation of necessary medical or life-support equipment, certification by a medical professional can help to prevent a disconnection or to have services restored. Certification forms are valid for 30 days and each household can request up to three certifications in any 12-month period. Medical certification forms generally are available from utility companies or many public health facilities. This certification will prevent disconnection or restore service within 21 days of termination of service in certain circumstances. On the day of termination, a representative from the utility must try to contact you or another adult in your home personally before disconnecting your service. If a utility representative is unable to reach you or another adult by phone or in person, a written notice will be affixed to something in a visible location (such as your door) before disconnecting service.

3 VOLTAGE UTILITIES COMPANY STATEMENT KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DATE OF BILLING 5/12/2014 ACCOUNT NO. AB SERVICE ADDRESS BILLING SUMMARY METER READING DETAIL TYPE PREVIOUS READING CURRENT READING USAGE Prior Balance $46.61 Current Payment $46.61 CR E kwh 4145 kwh 270 kwh W 2125 gal 2174 gal 49 gal Balance Forward $00.00 Electric $32.91 Water $13.10 Fuel Adjustment $3.76 CR Water Use Tax $0.03 ENVNT. Surcharge $0.24 State Sales Tax $2.37 County Tax $0.21 Privilege Tax $0.85 Franchise Fee $0.85 Total $46.80 METER READINGS AS OF: TYPE PREVIOUS MONTH READING USAGE HISTORY AMOUNT USED LAST YEAR E1 185 kwh 229 kwh W 94 gal 53 gal YOU CAN NOW PAY YOUR BILL ONLINE AT PLEASE DETACH AND RETURN BOTTOM PORTION WITH YOUR PAYMENT VOLTAGE UTILITIES COMPANY MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: VOLTAGE UTILITIES SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION SERVICE ADDRESS DUE DATE PAY THIS AMOUNT ACCOUNT NUMBER 5/12/2014 $46.80 AB AMOUNT ENCLOSED $ ADDRESSEE JOHN C. DOE CITY STATE ZIP REMIT TO VOLTAGE UTILITIES COMPANY ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP

4 CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING VS EVAPORATIVE COOLING Central air conditioners and evaporative coolers both keep us cool, but the systems operate very differently. This guide provides information to help you understand the differences so you can choose the most appropriate system for your household. EC Central Air Conditioner Evaporative Cooler CA Central Air Conditioners System Components Single outdoor unit Uses ducts to distribute cooled air throughout the house How It Works Air is drawn in through return-air ducts Uses high velocity air forced through ducts Filtered air is routed to air supply ductwork that carries it back to rooms Performance Produces cold, dry air (works best in an airtight home) Temperature control and eliminates drafts Eliminates humidity from the home Reduction in airborne particles such as dust and lint Condenser unit is located outside the home limiting indoor noise Cost Higher initial purchase and installation expense Higher electricity costs Maintenance Low maintenance Replace air filter and cleans coils regularly Evaporative Coolers System Components Single outdoor unit typically located on the roof, ground, window or in the attic Uses the water line to system How It Works Cools air by filtering it through water-saturated pads Fan inside unit pulls outside air through the sides and into the house Water is stored in a pan (media pads) at the bottom of the cooler Cooled air is distributed from central location or through existing ducts Need to open window or vents to outside when operating Performance Increases humidity in the home Increased fresh air flow in the house Limited reduction in airborne particles such as dust and lint Reduced control over exact temperature in house Cost Uses up to 75% less electricity than central air Lower initial purchase and installation expense Lower operating costs, typically half of central AC Maintenance Need to maintain air flow balance Weatherization needed in the spring and fall

5 Calculate Your Solar Array Size and Cost Step 1: Look at your electricity bills and average out your usage to find your annual electricity usage. Look for kwh. kwh = Kilowatt Hours is a measure of electricity usage. Your bill may tell you your kwh/month. If your bill is about $100/month, you might use around 1,000 kwh/month. If your bill is about $200, your usage maybe closer to 1,800 kwh/month. Step 2: Look at the chart below to get the number of hours per day the Sun shines on your house. Just find the closest big city. State City Avg State City Avg AK Fairbanks 3.99 MO Columbia 4.73 AK Matanuska 3.55 MO St. Louis 4.38 AL Montgomery 4.23 MS Meridian 4.43 AR Bethel 3.81 MT Glasgow 5.15 AR Little Rock 4.69 MT Great Falls 4.93 AZ Tuscon 6.57 MT Summit 3.99 AZ Page 6.36 NM Albuquerque 6.77 AZ Pheonix 6.58 NB Lincoln 4.79 CA Santa Maria 5.94 NB N. Omaha 4.90 CA Riverside 5.87 NC Cape Hatteras 5.31 CA Davis 5.10 NC Greensboro 4.71 CA Fresno 5.38 ND Bismark 5.01 CA Los Angeles 5.62 NJ Sea Brook 4.21 CA Soda Springs 5.60 NV Las Vegas 6.41 CA La Jolla 4.77 NV Ely 5.98 CA Inyokern 7.66 NY Binghampton 3.16 CO Grandby 5.69 NY Ithica 3.79 CO Grand Lake 5.08 NY Schenetady 3.55 CO Grand Junction 5.85 NY Rochester 3.31 CO Boulder 4.87 NY New York City 4.08 DC Washington 4.23 OH Columbus 4.15 FL Apalachicola 5.49 OH Cleveland 3.94 FL Belie Is OK Stillwater 4.99 FL Miami 5.62 OK Oklahoma City 5.59 FL Gainsville 5.27 OR Astoria 3.72 FL Tampa 5.67 OR Corvallis 4.03 GA Atlanta 4.74 OR Medford 4.51 GA Griffin 4.99 PA Pittsburg 3.28 HI Honolulu 6.02 PA State College 3.91 IA Ames 4.40 RI Newport 4.23 ID Boise 4.92 SC Charleston 5.06 ID Twin Falls 4.70 SD Rapid City 5.23 IL Chicago 3.14 TN Nashville 4.45 IN Indianapolis 4.21 TN Oak Ridge 4.37 KN Manhattan 4.57 TX San Antonio 5.30 KN Dodge City 5.79 TX Brownsville 4.92 KY Lexington 4.94 TX El Paso 6.72 LA Lake Charles 4.93 TX Midland 5.83 LA New Orleans 4.92 TX Fort Worth 5.43 LA Shreveport 4.63 UT Salt Lake City 5.26 MA E. Wareham 3.99 UT Flaming Gorge 5.83 MA Boston 3.84 VA Richmond 4.13 MA Blue Hill 4.05 WA Seattle 3.57 MA Natick 4.10 WA Richland 4.44 MA Lynn 3.79 WA Pullman 4.73 MD Silver Hill 4.47 WA Spokane 4.48 ME Caribou 4.19 WA Prosser 5.03 ME Portland 4.51 WI Madison 4.29 MI Sault Ste. Marie 4.20 WV Charleston 3.65 MI E. Lansing 4.00 WY Lander 6.06 MN St. Cloud 4.53 Step 3: Calculate your array size. The formula is: Array Size (kw) = (Annual kwh usage)/(365 days/year)/ (Solar Hours/day)/(0.75 derate factor) Example: My electricity bill is about $110/month I use about 900kWh/month or 10,800kWh/year. I live in SoCal near LA, so I get about 5.62 solar hours/day. 7 kw Array = (10,800 kwh/year)/(365 days/year)/ (5.62 kwh/day)/(0.75) Due to real world efficiency losses (irradiance, dust, temperature, and wiring), you should expect your system power output (AC power) to be about 75% of the system (DC power) size. This is the 0.75 efficiency constant included. My elecricity bill is: My monthly use is: I live near: I average solar hours/day: ( kwh/year)/( 365 days/year)/ ( solar hours/day)/(.75) X 12 months Disclaimer: Material presented on the SRoeCo Solar website is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended as professional advice and should not be construed as such. Any use of the information and calculators on SRoeCo Solar for any purposes other than for a general overview or estimated results is not endorsed or encouraged.