Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/611901
Nowthatthecoldweather season has arrived, it's time to prepare your homes for warmth and holiday cheer. Thewintermonthscanbring added costs to your energy bill; however, you can take steps to cut those costs and saveenergyforacozywinter. On average, 27 percent of energy use in California homes is spent for space heating and another 25 per- cent is used for water heat- ing. With about 52 percent of energy use statewide go- ing toward heating alone, it is beneficial to weatherize your home for winter. Keep the cold out of your home and avoid heat loss by fol- lowing these steps: Run your fan in reverse. Switchingyourceilingfanto clockwiseheatsyourhomeas the warmer air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space. Take a look at places where two different build- ing materials meet, such as around doors and win- dows. If a draft seems to be coming in, fill gaps with caulk,sprayfoam,orweather stripping. Close the flue when the fireplace is not in use so heat doesn't escape up the chim- ney. Close off unused rooms, cover bare floors, and move furniture away from vents when the heater is in use. Take advantage of sun- light. Open drapes to allow warmsunlightinandbesure to close thereafter to keep the heat in. Turn down the heat. On average,foreverydegreeyou lower the thermostat during heating season you'll shave 1-3 percent off your heating bill.Tomakeit easier,switch to a programmable thermo- stat. Water heating efficiency impacts your energy bill as well. Consider these tips to save energy and money: Pay less for hot water by insulating pipes. It can also help decrease the chance of pipes freezing. Stockuponfurnacefilters and change them monthly. Let off the steam. Lower- ing your water heater tem- perature to 120 degrees F or lowercanreducewaterheat- ing costs. Consider replacing your furnace and water heater with an EnergyStar appli- ance that provides the same service with less energy. Another 44 percent of energy use in California is spent in homes on appli- ances, electronics and light- ing.Thisholidayseason con- sider decorating your home or business with energy-ef- ficient LED holiday lights. EnergyStar LED lights pro- vide the same brightness (lumens) with less energy (watts) than standard bulbs, soyoucanenjoyamerryand bright holiday. Thisarticlewas submitted by the Resource Conservation District of Tehama County, a California Special District that assists citizens with managing, conserving and improving the natural resources of Tehama County. Energy Upgrade California is a state initiative to educate residents and small business consumers about energy management. RESOURCECONSERVATIONDISTRICT Ho li da y ch ee r wi th energy-efficient gear The Red Bluff Moose Family Center will be hav- ing a Tommy Moose presen- tation Saturday, Dec. 5. Members will present two dozen Tommy Moose stuffed animals to repre- sentatives of the Red Bluff Police Department , Red Bluff Fire Department, Te- hama County Sheriff's De- partment and California Highway Patrol. The toys will be given by emergency responders to children that have been through a trau- matic situation. A dinner will be held at 5 p.m. with the Tommy Moose presentation to fol- low. MOOSE LODGE Group to donate toys to responders Tehama County Police Activities League will hold a raffle drawing at Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply, 501 Madison St. in Red Bluff at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. The raffle item is a 12 gauge shotgun. Tickets are $10 each and have been on sale for more than a month and will still be available until 12:55 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds. PAL is a 501 (c) (3) youth drug demand reduction education program that puts cops and kids to- gether. This and similar fundraising events help to support free programs and mentoring for youth. For information on the free programs with Te- hama County PAL, call 529-7950 or visit www.te- hamaso.org/PAL. POLICE ACTIVITIES LEAGUE Raffle drawing set for today Advocacy American Legion, Lassen Post 0167 Red Bluff, 528-1026 AmericanLegion,Raisner Post 45 Corning, 518-3152 Am Vets, Post 2002 Corning, 526-2883 VFW Los Molinos, 384-1301 Red Bluff, 528-1026 Corning Post 4218 Dis- trict 15 Auxiliary 4218, District 15 824-5957 DAV 529-4579 MarineCorpsLeague,De- tachment 1140 (888) MCL- 1140 Military Family Support Group 529-1852 or 529-2416 Services Tehama County Veterans Service Office 529-3664 Tehama County Veterans Collaborative Tehama Together, 527- 2223 Veteran Resource Center Chico (530) 809-2831 Redding (530) 223-3211 VA Crisis Hotline (800) 273-8255 VA Homeless Outreach (530) 247-7917 Redding VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 226-7555 Chico VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 879-5000 Veterans Home, Redding (530) 224-3800 FaithBasedAdvocacy PATH — Poor And The Homeless 736-3959 PastorDaveLambers,VCF 736-3400 Servingveterans? If your local organization or government entity offers service specific to veterans, send contact information to editor@redbluffdailynews. com, fax to 527-9251 or drop it off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff during business hours to be added to this listing. RESOURCES Veterans services, advocacy groups By Kelly Osborne The Veterans Affairs Department has an- nounced new eligibil- ity criteria for the Veter- ans Choice Program that should allow more vet- erans to access private health services closer to home. VA staffers have been given broader flexibility to determine eligibility for the Choice program if they believe a veteran faces an "undue bur- den" while traveling for treatment at a VA facil- ity, such as a geographic barrier, environmental factors, a severe medi- cal condition or a need for frequent care, such as chemotherapy or tests that can be done quickly closer to home. The expanded eligibil- ity is in addition to the prior 40-mile driving dis- tance and allowing veter- ans to get authorization from Choice Card to see a civilian health care pro- vider if they can't get an appointment at a VA fa- cility within 30 days. Vet- erans interested in find- ing out whether they qualify for Choice un- der expanded eligibility should call 866-606-8198. In addition to helping with claims, the VSO of- fice began validating mil- itary service for honor- ably discharged veter- ans who would like to have "Veteran" noted on their California Driv- er's License. As with Te- hama County Veteran I. D. cards, please bring your DD-214. As staffing permits, we will issue the Veteran paperwork for your California Driver's License in the Red Bluff office 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Corning appointments will be by walk in during regularly scheduled VSO visits and the DMV form will be mailed back to you the same afternoon from the Red Bluff office. Once the DMV form is validated and stamped by the VSO, the form is ready to be taken to the DMV. As a reminder, assist- ing veterans and their families with claims is the highest priority, as we have Veterans with serious health and finan- cial issues. The VSO of- fice is not funded for administrative assis- tance — Beverly Holden is funded to do VSO out- reach, so your continued patience is appreciated. We have Brock Groom, our VA Work Study, who is funded by VA and help- ing with administrative assistance, but his hours are limited due to his col- lege classes and study time. There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to veterans and their de- pendents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, call the Tehama County Veter- ans Service Office at 529- 3664. The new address is the Bank of America Build- ing, 955 Main St., Ste. C, in Red Bluff. Office ap- pointment hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. We are appoint- ment only for claim as- sistance. Friday's we are closed for administra- tion, training and out- reach. We are looking for- ward to meeting you or seeing you again on your return visit. Kelly Osborne, retired U.S. Coast Guard, is the Veterans Service Officer for Tehama County. VSO NEWS VAhealthcarechoicecardexpandseligibility COURTESYPHOTO The Resource Conservation District of Tehama County participates in Red Bluff's Downtown Christmas Parade. GoMultimediathis Christmas Season! FlightsofFancy AvailableNov.2throughJan.10 6 column inch size ads or larger Pub lish 4 ti mes with in 7 d ay s, get the 5th run FREE! Only $5.95 per column inch Even lower rates when you add online display! 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Gayla Eckels: (530) 737-5044 geckels@redbluffdailynews.com Suzy Noble: (530) 737-5056 snoble@redbluffdailynews.com Thefamilyof Phil Stickels would like to extend our most sincere appreciation for the generous outpouring support shown at his celebration of life held on Sunday, November 15, 2015 It was clear that Phil was loved and adored by so many. We would like to thank each and everyone who gathered in remembrance. We extend a special thank you to the following for ensuring the most memorable send off from Wheeler Shop to The Elks, B and B Contracting, Brandon & Lynna Bagshaw, Fellow Truck Drivers, Troy and Jessica McCoy, Officer Dave Hencrat Red Bluff Police Department and Wheeler Crew Offer Expires 12-31-2015 Call for details (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff $28 A Month Enrollment, Plan Changes, Income & Subsidy Modifications 805 Walnut Street CornerofWalnut&Jackson Red Bluff 530-840-6611 Lic# OK13422 ENROLLMENT Service Assistance CertifiedInsuranceAgent 340HickorySt.,RedBluff 530-527-7755 Mon.11-4,TuesthruSat.10-6 DandyLions Children's Shop Now Carrying New Organic Toys & Clothing, Perfect for Gifting. 736-1389 632 Main Street, Red Bluff RagzToRiches 20% off Selected Items (Must present coupon) Unique Seasonal Gifts Handcrafted Items C O U P O N C O U P O N LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, December 5, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6