Want to save energy, save money on your power bill and help shrink South Carolina’s carbon footprint?

The S.C. Energy Office and Central Electric Power Cooperative, your co-op’s wholesale power provider, are giving a limited number of co-op homeowners an opportunity to participate in energy efficiency research studies that will help determine which measures work best in the state’s homes. The goal is to make co-op homes across the state more energy efficient, reducing how much fossil fuel is used to generate electricity and postponing the need to build new power plants.

Heating and cooling account for nearly 60 percent of the energy used in a typical U.S. home, by far the largest energy expense for most families.

If selected for this study, you will receive a heating/air tune-up or system replacement at no cost. Data on energy use will be collected before and after the upgrade.

Members of Blue Ridge, Coastal, Lynches River, Palmetto and Santee Electric Cooperative who own a manufactured home, single wide or double wide, built between 1990 and 2008, are eligible to apply for the program. Read about other eligibility requirements and rules for applying online or call 803-739-5066 to request a printed copy.

Members selected to participate by their electric cooperative will be notified by July 25, 2010.