It takes a lot of energy -- both physical and electrical -- to prepare meals for family and friends during the holidays. Whether you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for relatives or baking cookies for an office potluck, keep these tips in mind to minimize your electricity usage in the kitchen:

-- Don't waste energy by unnecessarily pre-heating your oven. Some foods, such as bread and desserts, require preheating, but holiday meal staples such as turkey and ham don't.

-- Keep the oven door closed. Ovens lose lots of heat when opened and require significant energy to heat back up to the appropriate temperature. Instead of opening the door to check on your food, turn on the interior light and look through the oven's window.

-- Oven-bake as many items together as you can. Although some items may cook at different temperatures, many items can be cooked at a standard temperature.

-- Use smaller appliances such as crock-pots, microwaves and toaster ovens when possible. These can be much more energy-efficient for side dishes or small meals.

-- Match the size of your pan to the size of the heating element. For example, when using an electric cook top, a 6-inch pan on an 8-inch burner will waste more than 40 percent of the heat produced by the burner.

-- Choose glass or ceramic pans for the oven. These pans heat faster than metal ones and allow you to set the temperature 25 degrees lower than a recipe suggests for the same cooking time.

-- When possible, cover your pots and pans. This can help cook your food more quickly and keeps the cooking temperature higher, which allows you to turn down the stove.

-- Only use as much water as you need in a pot. Every extra drop requires more energy to heat and increases the cooking time.

Visit www.FPL.com to learn more about other ways you can save in your home, during the holidays and throughout the year.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE:FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Co. 
Sharon Bennett, 305-552-3888

"The next generation of Floridians will live in a world where renewable energy is a central part of the economy and our way of life. The Next Generation Solar Education Station now operating here will give students a head start to understand the critical role solar power plays in their future," said FPL Regional Director of External Affairs Bob Coleman, whose territory includes Daytona Beach.

The school is the first of six in Florida where FPL is installing Next Generation Solar Education Stations. Over the summer, Hinson science teachers learned how to incorporate solar energy lessons into their curriculum. Now they are sharing these lessons with their students.

An online tool updating the power generated at the Daytona Beach Next Generation Solar Education Station is available at http://www.fpl.com/community/learning/solarstations.shtml.

This site also contains complete information about FPL's Next Generation Solar Education Station program including curriculum information. There is also a link to an FPL Group Foundation grant for teachers in FPL's service territory who can create winning classroom projects on renewable energy, and a map showing the locations of the other five Next Generation Solar Education Stations planned or under construction in Florida:

-- L.A. Ainger Middle School, Rotunda West (Charlotte County)

-- Mandarin Lakes Academy K-8 Center, Homestead (Miami-Dade County)

-- J.D. Parker Elementary School, Stuart (Martin County)

-- Deerfield Beach Middle School (Broward County)

-- SunCoast Community High School, Riviera Beach (Palm Beach County)

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Co. 
Sharon Bennett, 305-552-3888

Bunnell Mayor Catherine Robinson issued an official proclamation designating Oct. 15 as "Energy Awareness Day" in the city. Many of the money-saving, energy-conserving solutions demonstrated today in Bunnell can be adopted by any FPL customers who want to make smarter, cleaner energy choices. The energy efficiency upgrades combined have the potential to save customers as much as 25 percent on their utility bills each year.

"It is a myth that homeowners must make major financial investments and home improvements to make a difference," said Larry Volenec, FPL's external affairs area manager. "The money-saving, energy-conserving solutions that FPL demonstrated today in our Home Energy Makeovers can be easily replicated at a low cost."

Approximately 50 Home Energy Makeover team members, including FPL energy experts, city employees and volunteers made energy-efficient upgrades that included:

-- Inserting refrigerator and freezer thermometers

-- Installing weather stripping

-- Installing water-saving showerheads and faucets

-- Installing lifetime air conditioning filters

-- Installing compact fluorescent lights

The Home Energy Makeover initiative leverages the combined power of FPL employees with contractor partners to tackle 50 homes in one day. Entire neighborhoods benefit from energy efficiency as customers save thousands of dollars on electric costs.

To complete 50 Home Energy Makeovers in one day, volunteers and energy experts visited the homes of residents who were pre-qualified by the City of Bunnell through an application process. The teams spent one to two hours in each home, making the upgrades and educating homeowners about other no- or low-cost measures they can take to further reduce their energy use. Many of the homeowners are senior citizens living on fixed incomes.

Since the program's inception in 2006, more than 300 homes in the counties of St. Lucie, Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Broward, Palm Beach, Brevard and now Flagler are able to enjoy more energy-efficient homes.

FPL encourages its residential customers to visit the Energy Savings Toolkit section at www.FPL.com and take an online Home Energy Survey to find out how they can make their homes more energy-efficient.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Co.

Florida Power & Light Co. 
Sharon Bennett, 305-552-3888

Fact: It is true that Floridians' electric bills are generally lower during cooler months, but while your heater may not be on all the time, heating your home is actually two to three times more expensive than cooling it.

Living in Florida, many people aren't aware that heaters consume a lot of energy. As the days get cooler, here are some important energy-efficient, money-saving tips to keep in mind:

-- People often take longer showers in colder weather, which increases water-heating costs. Install a low-flow showerhead to reduce the amount of water you use, and try to keep showers to six minutes or less.

-- On cool, sunny days, open blinds and curtains to let the sunlight help warm your home.

-- If a ceiling fan has a switch to reverse the direction it spins, you can operate the fan in the opposite direction at a low speed. This will produce a gentle updraft, which moves warmer air downward into the living space.

-- When heating, make sure to set your thermostat as low as comfort permits. Each degree above 68 degrees adds 2-3 percent to the amount of energy needed for heating.

-- If you tend to use your heating system often in the winter, schedule a tune-up now to make sure it will be operating at maximum efficiency during the coldest months.

Visit www.FPL.com for more money-saving tips during Energy Awareness Month.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE: Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company 
Sharon Bennett, 305-552-3888