connect ionsMAY 2013

energY

entry title: ___________________________________________________________ First name: __________________________________________________________ Last name: __________________________________________________________

Birthdate: ___________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________

Zip/Postal code: _______________________________________________________

email Address: ________________________________________________________

Daytime telephone number: ______________________________________________

i am a northWestern energy (check box that applies):

q natural gas customer q electric customer q natural gas & electric customer

q i agree to the official contest rules.

*contest entry, including signed form must be received by 5 p.m. (Mst), Friday, June 7, to be included in the contest.

nortHWestern energY - eArtH DAY PHoto contest rULes

sPonsor AnD orgAniZer: the sponsor of the northWestern energy My corner of the World Photo contest (“contest”) is northWestern corporation d/b/a northWestern energy, 3010 West 69th street, sioux Falls, south Dakota 57108 (“northWestern”). the organizer is Flynn Wright, 1408 Locust st., Des Moines, iowa 50309 (“organizer”).

terM: the contest begins April 22, 2013 at 8 am Mst time and ends June 21, 2013 at 5 pm Mst time.

WHo MAY enter: the contest is free to enter and open to all active northWestern electric and gas/propane customers who have reached the age of majority in Montana, nebraska and south Dakota. employees of northWestern and their immediate family members are eligible to participate in the contest. employees and immediate family members of the organizer are not eligible to participate in the contest.

HoW to enter: to enter the contest, complete the registration form at www.mycornercontest.com with your name, email address, birth date and any required questions, and then follow the directions specified to submit a photograph. You must register for a strutta account in order to participate in the contest, or log in via Facebook, and must agree to strutta Media inc.’s terms of service. the organizer will determine if an entry meets the requirements of these rules. entries that do not include all the required information or adhere to these rules will be considered void. You may submit more than one entry.

contest PriZe: the top three winners will be selected by a panel of judges after public voting. the grand prize includes a complete photography package including an energY stAr® certified HP laptop, a nikon coolpix P7700 digital camera and a $100 shutterfly.com gift certificate. second place includes an energy Forward energY stAr certified samsung 40” LeD smart HDtV and a $50 shutterfly.com gift certificate. third place includes a $50 shutterfly.com gift certificate.

JUDging: the contest winner will be influenced by public vote and selected by a panel of judges. By participating in the contest you permit public voting in connection with your entry.

conDitions: tHis contest is VoiD WHere ProHiBiteD. By submitting an entry, participants agree that the decisions of northWestern and the organizer are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the contest and that northWestern may use the entry and each entrant’s name in any media, publicity or advertising without compensation. All federal, state and local taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. in the event the selected winner is ineligible, refuses the price, cannot be located or does not respond within ten days to a winner notification the prize will be forfeited and northWestern, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant. northWestern reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant and to cancel, modify, or suspend the contest. if the photograph contains any material or elements not owned by the entrant or which are subject to the rights of third parties, or if any person appears in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit northWestern’s use of the photograph. By entering the contest, the participant grants an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to northWestern, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photo in any northWestern media.

LiMitAtion oF LiABiLitY: By entering the contest, all the participant agrees to release, discharge, and hold harmless northWestern and the organizer and their agents, employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of the participation in this contest or any contest-related activities.

Love your community? Live efficiently? show us how and you could win awesome prizes.

northWestern energy invites you to photograph your corner of the world and show us all the things you do to preserve our communities, conserve energy and live more efficiently. submit your photos for a chance to win out of this world prizes! Your photos could even be chosen to represent northWestern energy in future communication materials seen throughout your community.

enter online at www.mycornercontest.com before June 7 voting will be open to the

public June 10-21 and the top three winners will be announced on June 27. Winners will be notified. in addition to the announcement online, we will post the winning entries in the september monthly bill insert.

no internet? no problem. contestants may submit photographs digitally by mail on a cD or DVD. Please do not send prints. Mail your entry by Monday, June 3, along with this completed form to:

northWestern energy Attn: My corner of the World contest 40 e. Broadway st. | Butte, Mt 59701.

Picture Yourself Winning Big

Win the Best of the Best!

Hopefully by now, the snow is melting and the flowers are sprouting in your neck of the woods! As you tackle spring chores, keep the following tips in mind.

spring is a great time to inspect and service your heating or cooling systems to ensure they operate efficiently and safely. this includes cleaning or replacing dirty furnace filters. When filters are clogged, air cannot flow easily, which causes your equipment to work harder than normal.

check your insulation levels. Make sure your attic has at least an r-value of 49 and basement walls and crawl spaces are at an r-19 or more. rebates for insulation are available through the e+ program in Montana.

install a programmable thermostat and set it to automatically adjusts heating or cooling temperatures at night and when no one is home.

When cleaning outside, be sure to call 811 at least two working days before beginning any digging project. this includes power raking, planting trees or installing a fence. the depth of utility lines varies and there may be multiple lines in a particular area. calling 811 to have lines marked prevents damage to you and those around you, and best of all - it’s free!

Always look up, look out and look around for overhead power lines. Be extra cautious when moving ladders and working on roofs or gutters.

Happy spring!

enter the My corner of the World contest

for your chance to win an energy Forward television. What is an energy Forward tV you might ask?

For electronics and appliances, there are many levels of energy efficiency. every energY stAr® labeled product is very efficient, meaning it meets or beats a threshold of energy efficiency. if a product has an energY stAr and an energy Forward label, it is among the Most efficient available.

At most Montana retailers, energy Forward helps shoppers see the big picture. the

orange labels on various models are meant to make it easy for consumers to find tVs that deliver the most technologically advanced televisions on the market. tVs marked with the “Most efficient” label are at least 20 to 35 percent more efficient that other energy-efficient products. Visit www.energyefficientelectronics.org for a listing of energy Forward tVs.

through the My corner of the World contest, northWestern energy will provide one lucky photographer with a great new – efficient – option to display their work! imagine your favorite photos showcased on your new 40” tV!

Energy Connections Editor | 40 E. Broadway Street | Butte, MT 59701 | news2@northwestern.com | www.northwesternenergy.com

MontAnAcustomer contact center (888) 467-2669 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F emergency 24/7 servicecall Before You Dig 811energy efficiency (800) 823-5995

neBrAskAcustomer contact center (800) 245-6977 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F emergency 24/7 servicecall Before You Dig 811

soUtH DAkotAcustomer contact center (800) 245-6977 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. M-F emergency 24/7 servicecall Before You Dig 811

PAYMentAutomated PhonePayment option: (800) 218-4959(via checking, savings, or money market account)

speedPay AutomatedPhone Payment option: (877) 361-4927(via credit card account)

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note From the editor…thank you all for taking the time to read and comment about our recipe cards. the recipes came from our employees and retirees who submitted them for inclusion in a centennial cookbook that we compiled last year. the cookbook was a great success and through it, individuals have donated close to $3,000 to regional food banks. Although we know that you can get almost any recipe from the internet or a good cookbook, we thought you might enjoy seeing some of our employee’s favorite dishes. the cost to produce and mail them is less than a penny a copy. We simply wanted to share something from our homes with you because we appreciate you as customers and as individuals who on occasion might just ask yourself, “What should i fix for dinner.”

Your northWestern energy account number is a good number to keep handy. You will need it if you want to make any changes to your account. in addition, with your account number, you can pay your bill online and/or sign-up for our eZ Pay program. eZ Pay saves you time by having your

payment automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account on the due date of your bill. Learn more about payment and billing options that are available for your account, by visiting us online or calling our customer contact center.

Account Number

Your energy bill has quite a few elements to consider. At first, it might seem overwhelming, but once you understand what each element means it all comes together. starting this

month, we will feature a detailed explanation of one element of your bill. if there is something you are curious about and would like to see featured, we encourage you to email your suggestion to: news2@northwestern.com.

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