CROWLEY – Staying comfortable this summer can be a challenge for those people without air conditioning. For older people, the heat can even be deadly. To help them stay cool this summer, Cleco is conducting its annual fan drive for the elderly.

“Our employees enjoy helping our customers through our fan drive,” said Anthony Bunting, vice president of customer services and energy delivery. “These fans help keep customers cooler and help conserve energy by using less electricity than window units or air conditioners.”

From now until mid-May, Cleco employees throughout the state will be holding fund-raisers and soliciting local businesses to help with the fan drive. Donated fans will be sent to councils on aging in Cleco’s service territory for distribution before the hot summer months.

“We introduced Cut-A-Watt, our energy education and conservation program, earlier this year when we weatherized customers’ homes,” said Bunting. “Our fan drive is another event under our Cut-A-Watt program. The drive allows us to talk about ways to conserve energy during high-usage summer months, and we are able to supply fans that help make the air feel 10 degrees cooler. This makes the summer months more bearable.”

Donors may drop off fans at any Cleco customer service office.

Senior citizens in need of fans should contact their local council on aging. The Acadia Council on Aging is participating in the drive and can be contacted.