Punctuation • Hyphen - When using a hyphen do not insert a space on each side of the hyphen. • For number ranges: 25-35 • Dual-fuel heat pump • Dash - When using a dash in text, ensure that it is a dash (“ – ” with spaces or “—” without spaces) and not a hyphen (“-”). • Place asterisks and superscripts before the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. • Comma - Use a comma in numbers to identify thousand or million figures in both text and tables (1,683,000 kWh). Dates • Format dates as follows: Month Day, Year (e.g., May 22, 2011).
• Avoid the use of th, st, and rd in dates. List, Numbered Lists, Bulleted Lists • Capitalize the first word in each item of the list.
• Use consistent punctuation at the end of each bulleted item. • Start each item in the list with the same part of speech (e.g., verb). • Use the same voice and verb tense for each item. • Use the same sentence type for each item. Contractions
Limit the number of (or avoid) contractions (e.g., it’s, they’re, didn’t, can’t), and colloquialisms, idioms, slang, and qualitative words (e.g., few, little, much, several, some) in collateral. Contractions may be used in less formal communication (e.g., email, letters, social, digital, website, advertising). Citations When using information pulled from an outside source, cite the source in the document. Source citations can be listed in the text or at the end of a document in a citation summary. Acronyms All acronyms should be spelled out the first time they are presented in a document, followed by the acronym in parentheses (e.g., Large Energy Users Program (LEU)). If the acronym will only be used once in the document, use the full word vs. the acronym. Note: Focus preference is to avoid using acronyms as much as possible in communications; especially for residential customer communications. Exceptions include LED, ECM, ERV, HRV. Numbers, Dollar Amounts • When referring to dollar amounts in tables, use both decimal places for zeros ($126.00). In text, do not use decimal places for zeros ($126). • Write out numbers one through nine. For numbers ten and over, use numerical digits (exceptions apply—e.g., for consistency you would say ‘From 3 to 20 people can attend’). • Use the percent symbol (%) when paired with a number. 20%-50%.
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