Galveston has a great Mardi Gras celebration that lasts from February 10-21. As the largest Mardi Gras party in Texas, this year’s carnival season includes 5 masked balls, 19 balcony parties, 24 parades and 26 concerts, the final one headlined by pop sensation Hot Chelle Rae.

If you’re in the DFW area, you might check out the Mardi Gras Texas Style party, a big one-day festival with 28 bands on five stages. Held at Fair Park on Saturday February 18, this year’s headliners include the Josh Abbott Band and the Eli Young band. No word on if you can get gumbo and shrimp, but we’d sure hope so.

Here at First Choice Power, we kicked off the carnival season early with the PediPlace Mardi Gras Ball. We were honored to be a sponsor of the event, which raises a big percentage of the annual funding for the organization that helps uninsured kids get medical coverage.

Getcher beads ready, raise a po-boy and laissez les bon temps rouler, y’all.

“I enjoy helping people out, which is why I referred my family and friends to First Choice Power,” Fuller said. “They go above and beyond when it comes to customer service, offer great prices and are there for you when you really need them.”

The “Turn On a Friend” Referral Program rewards customers for every new customer they refer to First Choice Power. A customer can earn up to $180* for each new customer they refer. Congratulations to our 2011 winners Neal Mora, George Fuller, Joseph McGinn and Luz Santos! The next winner could be you, so visit  www.FirstChoicePower.com/refer to learn more.

*$180 is paid over three years. See website for full details.

Here’s how it works. As part of our Food First™ program to stop hunger here in Texas, we’ll donate one meal to the Teas Food Bank Network each time someone Shares our I Love Fighting Hunger Valentine. Pretty easy, huh?

It will only be up for February, so go ahead and click Share the Love, tell your friends and let’s get a bunch of meals for the food banks here in Texas. Because there’s nothing we love more than making a difference.

Photo Credit: www.bargaineering.com

Last year, we posted some ideas for having a greener Valentine’s Day—using paperless cards and buying organic flowers, for example. They’re still great ideas, but this year, we thought we’d expand on that by focusing more on…romance.

To be green on Valentine’s Day, you could:
• Use candles instead of electric lights. To be extra green, make sure they’re soy candles.
• Skip the heater and snuggle under a blanket together.
• Cook dinner at home instead of fighting the crowds, and traffic, for dinner out.
• Forget about cards all together and rehearse your Valentine a poem or song.
• Plant a tree together to celebrate how your love has grown.

Have a very brown chicken brown cow Valentine’s Day, y’all! And don’t forget to subscribe to The Current for all kinds of information about being green, living in Texas and keeping the romance electric!

What have you done lately to make life easier for yourself? Made your lunch the night before? Planned out your family’s meals for the week? Coordinated a car pool?

Setting your First Choice Power account to make automated payments is another smart way to plan ahead and take something off your plate. All you have to do is save your payment information (either your credit card, debit card or bank draft information) in My Account. You can set alerts so you know when a payment is made, and many can even choose the day your bill will be due.

Once automated payments are in place, you’ll never miss a payment or find yourself with unexpected late fees. And with all that time you’ll save each month, you could even take a little longer making your lunch.

Do you have any advice or tips for making life easier? Share ‘em in the comments section below.

Photo Credit: Texas Agriculture

February is a month for celebrating love. It’s also a month for celebrating a love of grapefruit, at least it is if you live here in Texas. The grapefruit has only been our state fruit since 1993, but farmers have been growing it in the Rio Grande Valley since 1893. Legend has it that in 1929, farmers discovered the first red grapefruit growing on a pink grapefruit tree, and the delicious Texas Ruby Red was born.

So make a grapefruit pie, try a grapefruit drink or just eat one plain. Because you know what they say—a grapefruit a day keeps the doctor away.

Let us know how you’re going to celebrate National Grapefruit Month in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Current to say up on all kinds of news about Texas and all things related to energy and electricity.

Photo Credit: flickr.com/photos/newsusa

Happy Monday, Bill Slimmers! It’s time to take the second step toward reducing your electric bill—setting your thermostat properly!

Step 2: Make a New Routine
You might not know it, but little changes in temperature can make a big difference. Setting your thermostat a few degrees cooler in the winter and a few degrees warmer in the summer can cut your bill by around $180 a year. ¹ So what’s the best way to do that?

Get a Programmable Thermostat
If you have a programmable thermostat, you’ve got a built-in advantage for staying on an energy-efficient schedule. If you don’t already have one, consider installing a programmable thermostat. You could do it yourself or hire a professional. The amount you’ll save on your bill will quickly make up for the cost. And many models qualify for an ENERGY STAR energy efficient tax credit.

Plan Your Program
The advantage of a programmable thermostat is that it will keep you on an energy-efficient schedule. Most come pre-programmed with settings that are designed to maximize your energy savings.

The government’s ENERGY STAR site has put together a suggested temperature guide:

If these settings seem too extreme, never fear. You can always adjust them to fit your family’s comfort level. Dropping or raising the temperature by a even a few degrees will have an effect on your electric bill.

Don’t Heat or Cool an Empty House
The big key to saving electricity with heating and cooling is to avoid using your HVAC when you’re not home. It’s much more energy efficient for your HVAC to make a big jump to get your house back to the right temperature than it is to hold it steady for hours when you’re away.

Ready to start your new routine? Tell us how it’s going in the comments below. If you missed last month’s tip for reducing your electric bill, check out the benefits of energy-saving CFL bulbs. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Current blog to catch next month’s tip to help you save money on your electric bill.

¹ Source: http://www.energystar.gov/

Photo Credit: www.thewestpole.net/

Did you watch the news this morning? We did! After the balmy weather we’ve been having across Texas, we couldn’t believe that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, indicating that there will be six more weeks of winter. Maybe that forecast is just for those folks up in the East?

We’re more likely to trust the prediction of Bee Cave Bob, an armadillo known for his weather prediction. While there’s no news at press time what Bee Cave Bob has predicted (the Benevolent Knights of the Raccoon seem to get a later start than those Pennsylvanians), we figure it’s probably more accurate since he’s right here in Lone Star State. Either way, before we know it, it will be time to start spring cleaning on the HVAC and gutters…

Did you watch the news this morning? We did! (Sorry—just a little Groundhog Day humor for you there.) Have a great Groundhog Day, and don’t forget to subscribe to The Current for all kinds of Texas and energy-related news.

Photo Credit: www.caritas-waco.org

Last November, we were happy to take part in the Food for Families event as part of our Food First™ program to end hunger in Texas. Food for Families is the largest one-day food drive in Texas, and it takes place on the Friday before Thanksgiving. We thought that donating 12,000 meals to Caritas of Waco seemed like pretty good way to celebrate and give thanks. At the end of the day, a total of 1,221,385 pounds of food was collected across Texas—a new all-time record!

Then at the awards ceremony in January, First Choice Power won the award for the most pounds of food donated—for the second year in a row. We couldn’t be more honored. Big thanks to all of our friends at Caritas of Waco for the award, and for all of the good work you’re doing in the community.

Photo Credit: energystar.gov

As those W2s start coming in the mail, it’s a good time to think about taxes. The good news is, if you bought an ENERGY STAR rated product for your home in 2011, you might qualify for a tax credit.

So, what is ENERGY STAR, anyway? It’s a government rating system that distinguishes energy efficient products. Not all ENERGY STAR products qualify for tax credits, but the ones that do can really save you money.

Some examples:
• HVAC Air Source Heat Pump: $300
• HVAC Central Air Conditioning (CAC): $300
• Insulation: 10% of the cost, up to $500
• Roofs (Metal & Asphalt): 10% of the cost, up to $500
• Windows, Doors & Skylights: 10% of the cost, up to $500 ($200 for windows)
• Solar Panels: 30% of the cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power

You can see the full list of products that qualify for tax credits at www.energystar.gov.

Even if you didn’t have any ENERGY STAR tax credits this year, they’re worth remembering when you’re buying home products in 2012. But remember to save your receipts and the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement. You’ll need these documents—along with the tax credit Form 5695—when you file your return.

Will you be saving any money this year because of energy efficient tax credits? Chances are you’re already saving on your electric bill by updating old appliances. Tell us about it in the comments section- we love to hear from you!