September 1st, 2010

Join us in our fight against hunger in Texas. Did you know Texas is the third most hungry state in the country?

Today marks the beginning of Hunger Action Month – a great opportunity to bring even more awareness to fighting hunger in Texas, and to further First Choice Power’s Food First™  program.

To kick off this important month of Hunger Action, we are proud to announce that East Texas Food Bank is the August winner of our Facebook poll, and will receive a $1,000 grant to help provide 8,000 meals to hungry East Texans.

“Texas ranks as the third state in most need when it comes to hunger,” said Brian Hayduk, President of First Choice Power. “We believe that no one should go hungry and is making hunger our No. 1 cause. Through our Food First™ program, we have created multiple ways to help alleviate this issue, and we hope our fellow Texans will join us.”

Did you know that Texas leads the nation when it comes to hungry children with more than 22 percent children unsure of how they will get their next meal? Food First™ aims to make a difference for the approximately 1.3 million families in Texas that do not have enough food with specific programs focused on feeding those children.

As a company, First Choice Power employees are participating in Hunger Action Month with a canned-food drive in our offices.  For each canned food received, First Choice Power will donate $1 to a hunger-related agency through United Way.

Want to learn more about what YOU can do? Here’s a double-win: Follow us on Twitter, and we’ll send you a tweet every day during Hunger Action Month with a tip of how you can get involved; and for every new Twitter follower or “like” on Facebook this month, we’ll donate a meal in your name to one our food bank partners.

While you’re on our Facebook page, don’t forget to click on the “Food First”  tab and vote for your local Texas food bank – the poll is now open to vote for September’s winning food bank.

How will you participate in Hunger Action Month?

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August 30th, 2010

Who’s Brian? Brian Hayduk is First Choice Power‘s clamdigging, eco-friendly, people-person president. Every month we’ll feature his answer to one of your burning questions, energy or otherwise. For his inaugural post, Brian discusses OPOWER, a groundbreaking new program designed to teach customers how to dramatically reduce their energy consumption.

Do you have a question for Brian? Leave it in the comments section, and check back next month to find out if your question was chosen.

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August 27th, 2010

As you may already know, First Choice Power has joined the fight to eliminate hunger – and you can too. Don’t know where to start? Here are a few ways. 

Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, makes it fun and easy to donate with its “Stock the Shelves” interactive game. At the click of a button, see how quickly you can fill shelves with food without breaking the bank. While you’re at it, donate any amount you’d like to fight national hunger. ($1 adds up to $14 worth of food!)

Feeding America's "Stock the Shelves" game

In North Texas, The Landmark Restaurant, located in the Dallas’ Warwick Melrose Hotel, has a unique way of participating in KRLD Restaurant Week.  The restaurant is offering a three-course menu for $35, with $7 per meal donated to the The North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth. This offer runs through August 29, so hurry this weekend North Texans.

At First Choice Power, we challenged ourselves recently to donate one million meals in Texas as part of our Food First campaign. Our summer initiative just wrapped up, but there are still plenty of opportunities you can help us alleviate hunger throughout Texas. One is by voting for your favorite Texas food bank in our Facebook poll. Each month, the winning food bank wins $1,000, which is equal to 8,000 meals!

Share with us here – or on Facebook or Twitter – how you do your part to fight hunger in your community. We would love to support you and recognize your contributions to a great cause.

 

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August 25th, 2010

This Sunday marks the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devestated our Gulf Coast five years ago.

Danielle churning in the Atlantic - Credit: AP Photo

With Hurricane Danielle now churning in the Atlantic, and Tropical Storm Earl forming not far behind, now is a good time to ask ourselves along the Texas coast: Are we prepared for the next big hurricane?

First Choice Power’s new website features a Storm & Hurricane Safety Learning Center, including a storm safety checklist with preparation tips. But what happens when the electricity goes out during or after a hurricane or tropical storm, you may ask? Not to worry, we also provide information on what to do and who to call in the event of a storm-induced outage. 

Click here to read more about basic hurricane preparedness, or visit FEMA’s online center for a list of comprehensive resources.

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August 23rd, 2010

Today many kiddos are headed back to school.

Do you hear the cheers from the parents of teenagers? Or the sniffles from those dropping off their “babies” for the first time?

Going back to school is a great time to make new green habits part of your family’s routine. 

  • Green travel: Have you set up a carpool? Or are your kids taking the bus? Or do they ride their bike?
  • Green books: Instead of buying book covers, use newspaper, paper grocery bags or recycled wrapping paper.
  • Green lunch: Pack your kids lunch in a reusable lunch pail and with reusable containers. If your kids’ beverage is in an aluminum can or plastic bottle, encourage them to bring it home for recycling.

We take “going green” a step further by helping teachers talk about energy-efficiency in the classroom with our Classroom Energy Innovation Grants. Tell your kids to give their teachers some homework: Apply for a Classroom Energy Innovation Grant. Here’s the assignment:

  1.  Think about an innovative way to talk about energy or energy efficiency in the classroom.
  2. Develop a budget on how you’d spend as much as $2,000 grant money from First Choice Power to make that idea come alive with your students.
  3. Visit www.FirstChoicePower.com/innovation to take the eligiblity quiz and start the easy application.
  4. Finalize your application by Oct. 15.

Learn more about Classroom Energy Innovation Grants.

How are you adding “green” efforts to your family’s back-to-school routine?

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August 20th, 2010

Get it while it’s hot! Mortgage interest rates are lower than ever today. But did you know that, just as you can refinance your mortgage, you also can refinance the energy plan of your home or business? First Choice Power’s Michael Swart answers the burning question: Should you refinance your energy plan?

“Energy prices are driven in large part by the cost of natural gas and are sitting at historic lows,” Michael said. “While discussing the process of refinancing with a friend recently, I shared my decision to select a fixed-rate 24-month plan (vs. a month-to-month plan), and recommended that he follow my lead to lock in a low rate over the next two years.”

“This is a great way to save on your electricity bill and protect yourself from the potential of rising energy costs over the next two summers,” Michael added.

To find the right energy plan for you, visit our price plan description page.

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August 19th, 2010

Visit www.facebook.com/FirstChoicePower, like us and click on "Food First" to cast your vote!

 

Texans, have you voted in our Food First poll yet? Simply visit our Facebook page, click on “Food First,” and vote for your local food bank. 

Starting next month, we will award $1,000 each month to the food bank in Texas that garners the most votes. That’s the equivalent of 8,000 meals! I just voted (no, I’m not telling you who I voted for), and the East Texas Food Bank is in the lead, trailed by the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley

A friendly reminder: there are 11 days left in August! You can vote as many times as you’d like before 5 p.m. on Aug. 30 to help First Choice Power support YOUR local food bank. 

Speaking of August, the dog days of summer have been extra hot! Why not cool down with some energy-efficient recipes. 

Dinner plans? Make a scrumptious salad or a sandwich that doesn’t require an oven or stove. No reason to make the AC work even harder to cool your kitchen and house than it already does.  Who wants soup when it’s 100+ degrees out anyway? 

Here’s my new favorite salad recipe: 1 can of black beans, 1 can of corn (or hominey), lime juice, cilantro, tomato and avocado. Yum! 

What meals do you make to cool your taste buds? Share your favorite no-cook recipes below!

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August 17th, 2010

A collection of school supplies donated by our employees last year following tax-free weekend.

When I think of the back-to-school season, I can’t help but think of that clever office supply chain commercial to the tune of, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” from a few years ago. In this ad, you see a dad gleefully purchasing school supplies for his kids for back-to-school time.

This time of year also makes me giddy to know it’s football season, finally, but that deserves its own blog post for another time.

What’s better than gleefully purchasing school supplies and knowing your kids are ready to head back to the classroom? It’s saving money on school supplies with Texas’ tax-free weekend, Aug. 20-22, 2010.

Each year, we tie our Community Crew school supply drive to tax-free weekend, so our employees can purchase some extra, tax-free, supplies to donate to kids in need in our service area. For example, they can purchase 10 folders for $1, tax-free!

For a list of qualifying purchases, check out the Texas tax-free weekend website.

While we’re on the topic of saving money, how would you like to save a few bucks on your electricity bill? With our new “Turn On a Friend” referral program, you receive a $5 credit on your bill every month, as long as your friend is a First Choice Power customer*. To learn more about the “Turn On a Friend” program, click here.

Will you take advantage of tax-free weekend? What makes you think of the back-to-school season?  

*Terms and eligibility apply.

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August 16th, 2010

No appliance is happier about the relief from the triple-digit heat today than your AC. It’s been working hard this summer thanks to 16 days of 100+ weather in a row.

You’ve probably heard a few rumors about your AC, and for today’s #EcoMonday we want to help provide five facts care of @YahooGreen.

Should you leave your AC on while you’re at work? Does a ceiling fan really help?

Read Yahoo Green’s post for the answers.

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August 13th, 2010

What does “You First” mean to you? To First Choice Power, “You First” represents a commitment to you, our customer. Yes, we are a retail electric provider, but the duty and privilege of our company is to serve you and our community.

Last month on The Current, we featured Adam Martin, a First Choice Power analyst and culture committee member, who shared an experience where he and some of our colleagues served over 760 people at The Stewpot.  Since then, more employees have come forward to share their stories of community service, personal experiences that we want to spotlight in a monthly series entitled, “You First In Action”.

This week our very own Sandra Phillips devoted her time and physical endurance to fight Multiple Sclerosis. Sandra and her husband David traveled to Hawaii to participate in a two-day, 115-mile bike ride to raise money for MS.

Sandra and David excited to ride for MS

Beginning in Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, the team rode 65 miles on the first day and 50 miles on the second.

“There are no words to express the pride we felt when we crossed the finish line and after we realized, with only 27 riders, we raised over $30,000,” Sandra said.    

Kudos to Sandra and David for accomplishing an incredible feat to benefit a cause they’re passionate about.

Closer to home, our Lewisville office team came to the rescue of a woman yesterday. In her words , “They are the most courteous people! I ran out of gas in front of the location, and 4 gentlemen, pushed my car to the gas station for me! For that very reason, goodbye Stream, HELLO First Choice!!!”

We couldn’t be prouder of our Lewisville store representatives. Well done!

Share with us, how do you and your co-workers put “You First” in action?

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