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A U S T I N U T I L I T I E S N O W I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T YO U R C I T Y S E R V I C E S Easy ways to lower your bills Energy and water use hit a peak in August and September, which can mean higher utility bills. If you are facing financial difficulty with your utility bill during this time, the City of Austin’s Customer Assistance Programs offer resources and support to qualifying customers. You can find more information on utility bill relief at austinenergy.com/go/cap or austinbillhelp.com. 2 8 3 5 4 - G U A August 2020 the summer. This helps with air flow Lower Your Electric Bills » Change your AC filter every month in and quality. » Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when possible. Every degree higher than 78 degrees can decrease your bill by about 3 percent. » Install LED light bulbs. ENERGY STAR® qualified LEDs use at least 75 percent less electricity, generate less heat than incandescent bulbs and last about 50 times longer, saving both money and energy. » Unplug appliances and electronic devices when not in use. Devices use energy even when turned off. Turn off » Keep curtains and blinds closed on windows hit by direct sunlight. The sunlight can quickly raise indoor » Use fans when you are in the room. Fans can help you feel 2 to 4 degrees cooler. Turn them off when you leave the room to save energy. Remember fans cool people, not rooms! » Sign up at coautilities.com to help manage your electric use and to help reduce your bill. lights when you leave a room. temperatures 5 to 10 degrees. SAFETY TIP! Lower Your Water Bills » Water your lawn on your assigned day and times. » Use drip irrigation for bedded plants, shrubs and trees. This applies water directly to the roots and avoids evaporation. » Replace older toilets. High-efficiency models use 1.28 gallons per flush. Dual flush models use even less water. » Take shorter showers — five minutes, tops. If you take a bath, fill the tub to six inches or less. » Replace bathroom faucet aerators and showerheads. Low-flow aerators use 0.5 gallons per minute. Water- saving showerheads use 1.5 gallons per minute or less. » Turn off the water. Don’t let water or conditioning your hair. run while shaving, brushing your teeth, lathering in the shower and shampooing Visit austinenergy.com/go/summer and austinwater.org for more ways to save. Tips for Apartment Recycling Recycling doesn’t have to be a struggle. Here are some tips to help make it a little easier, and every little bit helps: » Keep trash out of the recycling. Throwing trash bags in the recycling cart is a big problem and costs your apartment community extra money which could be passed on to you. » Break down cardboard boxes. This leaves room to encourage your neighbors to recycle more. Keep in mind that soiled pizza boxes aren’t recyclable. If the top is clean, you can tear it off and recycle it. » Add a recycling bin to your home. Start with easy to recycle items like hard plastic, cardboard, aluminum cans and glass. You can use a paper grocery bag, which is also recyclable. » Donate reusable items. Search austinreusedirectory.com to find more than 100 drop off sites or connect with a local business for pick-up services where available. For more recycling information visit austinrecycles.com. Telltale signs of electrical problems in rentals If you’re moving into rental property, here’s a way you can check for underlying electrical problems. Turn on all the lights and wait a few minutes. Have the lights dimmed or flickered? Are the on/off switches warm to the touch? Does the microwave, air conditioner or heater cause the lights to flicker or dim? Is there a burning smell or buzzing noise? Any of these warning signs can mean electrical problems. Find your City Council Candidate Forum » District 2: Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. Dove Springs Recreation Center » District 4: Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. Gus Garcia Recreation Center » District 6: Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. Hope Presbyterian Church » District 7: Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. Northwest Recreation Center » District 10: Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. Jewish Community Center » If Runoff: Monday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers Visit austintexas.gov/elections to learn more or call 3-1-1. To submit suggested questions to be asked at the Candidate Forums, you may email suggestions to forum@lwvaustin.org. Topics requested repeatedly will be considered for inclusion. Questions may be both citywide and Council District-specific. Stay in the loop with Safe Routes to School! The City of Austin, the City’s Ethics Review Commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area, will sponsor City Council Candidate Forums for City Council candidates competing in the November 2020 election. Austin voters will elect council members in five Council districts Nov. 3. If necessary, due to the pandemic, candidate forums will be held virtually. If there won’t be physical attendance for the candidate forums, individuals will be able to watch them at ATXN.TV, cable TV channel 6 or AT&T U-Verse channel 99. Here are the dates, times and locations of each council district candidate forum: The Safe Routes to School Program helps Austin kids walk and bike to school. As part of the 2016 Mobility Bond, the Safe Routes Program is working on projects across Austin. These projects aim to make it easier and safer for young students to get to and from school, whenever schools are ready for them. Want to see which Safe Routes projects might be coming to your neighborhood school? Go to austintexas.gov/saferoutesprojects to learn more and sign up for email updates. You can also go to austintexas.gov/saferoutes for more information about the Safe Routes to School Program. Save instantly Buy eligible home energy efficiency products at participating Austin- area retailers and receive instant savings from Austin Energy. See the full list of available products and look for the green tag when you shop at austinenergy.com/go/instantsavings. Safe at home with Austin Code Living in Austin is safe and easy when you know what potential dangers at home could look like. Austin Code educates residents about common code violations to encourage people to take proactive actions and preserve their quality of life. Need resources to feel Safe at Home? The City offers a variety of services and information to help keep your home safe. Learn more at austintexas.gov/code. Customer Service Phone: 512-494-9400 24-Hour Power Outage Reporting: 512-322-9100 | 24-Hour Emergency Water Service: 512-972-1000North Austin Utility Customer Service Center (Walk-in Center): 8716 Research Blvd., Ste. 115 Rosewood-Zaragosa Neighborhood Center (Walk-in Center): 2800 Webberville Road, Ste. 110© 2020 City of Austin. All rights reserved.The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. TDD 512-974-3256, Relay Texas 7-1-1. AUG-45382Si gusta recibir este folleto en español, llame a los Servicios Públicos de la Ciudad de Austin al 512-972-9523.