Entergy employees volunteer to help neighbors in need by making 16 low-income family homes more energy efficient

BATON ROUGE, La. – With a focus on energy savings, community outreach and the environment, employees of Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. and the City of Baton Rouge Office of Community Development are partnering for a day of volunteerism on Thursday, Oct. 4, to make homes near Istrouma High School in north Baton Rouge more energy-efficient. The energy-efficiency home improvements will help customers reduce energy use in their homes and lower energy costs.

A volunteer force of Entergy and City of Baton Rouge employees, led by Mayor-President Melvin L. "Kip" Holden and Bill Mohl, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, and 15 Istrouma high school student volunteers are devoting their time and talents to energy-efficient changes at 16 Istrouma-area homes.

Their work will include caulking around windows, installing weather stripping around external doors, repairing holes and cracks in floors and walls, replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones, installing water heater blankets and making other energy-efficiency improvements.

"These efforts to improve energy efficiency are about taking tomorrow’s future and putting it in our hands today,” Holden said. “It’s important for all of us to work together to conserve our precious natural resources, save energy, and utilize more efficient technologies, so that our children and grandchildren have the future that they deserve."

Last year, Holden launched the ConserveBR program, targeted toward both city-parish employees and Baton Rouge citizens and designed to emphasize the immediate need to have all citizens, businesses and city-parish employees do their small part to help ensure a sustainable Baton Rouge for the present and future. As part of the effort, the city-parish has launched www.ConserveBR.com to serve as a resource for citizens interested in learning how to conserve or be more efficient with energy, and to engage those same citizens in an ongoing dialogue of commitments to conservation and environmental sustainability throughout Baton Rouge.

Thursday’s Istrouma energy-efficiency effort is both part of Entergy’s month of statewide environmental volunteerism and its Istrouma School Zone Initiative. Entergy and key Baton Rouge businesses, educational institutions, community and non-profit organizations and service providers, launched the school zone initiative one year ago to deliver focused, holistic assistance to increase Istrouma High School graduation rates and improve economic development and overall quality of life in the largely low-income Istrouma community.

“As with the school zone initiative, the Istrouma energy-efficiency project is about the partnership of community, business and government – and about our employees giving back to the community where they live and work – by making a lasting difference in this neighborhood and in the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents,” said Mohl. “We hope to spread the message on Thursday that energy efficiency will help all of our customers save money and the environment while also helping improve customers’ lives by providing much-needed financial benefits in these tough economic times.”

According to Entergy Gulf States Louisiana Customer Service Vice President Steven Scheurich, there are many simple steps, tools and technologies that can reduce energy use and lower energy costs. “The ones we’re implementing inside these Baton Rouge-area homes will make a significant difference in these families’ lives,” said Scheurich, who is also participating in the volunteerism effort.

For example, he explained that air infiltration from the outside is a huge energy loser. In a drafty home, the air may "turn over" several times an hour, meaning that the home''s entire volume of air must be reheated or re-cooled that often. A tight house sees a complete air exchange only once every two to three hours. “Saving money on your energy bill is easier than you think,” Scheurich said. “Following a few tips to reduce the amount of energy used in your home can significantly reduce your overall monthly bills. Spending a little time to make changes today can help you reap the rewards for years to come.”

“Energy-efficiency is as much about helping our customers save money as it is about promoting our support for a clean environment,” Mohl added, “and both are commitments to our community and to Louisiana’s future that we take to heart.”

In May, Entergy introduced the “Save Money” program to provide customers with more resources and tools to help lower energy costs. At entergy-louisiana.com/savemoney, step-by-step videos and printouts on energy-saving home projects energy-saving calculators and more help customers manage energy costs more effectively year-round.

Entergy’s Louisiana utility companies serve more than one million customers through the operating companies Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. With operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana, the companies are part of Entergy Corporation’s electric system serving 2.8 million customers in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas.

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