GAHANNA, Ohio, October 22, 2013 — For the second year running, AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is proud to donate 200,000 ENERGY STAR certified Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs to Mid-Ohio Foodbank as part of the company’s ENERGY STAR Day. Struggling Ohioans from throughout the state will receive the energy efficient bulbs this fall to help reduce energy use and costs, freeing up their limited resources for life’s other necessities.
“Installing CFLs is a quick and easy way to lower energy use and save on electric bills,” said Gary Spitznogle, vice president – Regulatory and Finance, AEP Ohio. “Arming people with the means to become more energy efficient is one way we can help those in need save on living costs. CFLs can be used in almost any fixture and use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, saving people about $50 or more in electricity costs over the course of each bulb’s lifetime.”
AEP Ohio’s longstanding partnership with Mid-Ohio Foodbank affords the electric company the opportunity to distribute CFL bulbs to low-income Ohioans in eight counties throughout the state. “AEP Ohio’s generosity to provide energy efficient bulbs to those in our community who are struggling so that they can access food with their limited resources makes a real difference. Families throughout our footprint worry everyday about where their next meals will come from. This donation helps to lessen that ache,” said Matt Habash, president & CEO, Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
The donation is part of AEP Ohio’s Efficient Products Program, offering customers discounted CFLs through participating retailers to help people reduce wasted energy, save money and protect the environment. Low-income residential customers are also eligible for the installation of a wide range of higher efficiency, cost effective lighting, appliances, heating and cooling equipment, weatherization upgrades and other electrical safety measures. For more information about this program, customers can call AEP Ohio at 800/277-2177.
Since 2009, AEP Ohio has helped customers reduce power usage by 1,697 GWhs, saving more than $1 billion. AEP Ohio offers a variety of energy efficiency programs and discounts to help residential and business customers to stop wasting energy and start saving money. For more information, visit AEPOhio.com/WasteLess (residential) or AEPOhio.com/Solutions (business).
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Investor-owned utilities in Ohio are required to meet specific energy reduction targets. AEP Ohio’s overall energy efficiency and peak demand response efforts were established to meet the State of Ohio target of reducing electricity consumption 22 percent by the end of 2025. For more information about AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency consumer programs, events and tips, visit AEPOhio.com/WasteLess.
Mid-Ohio Foodbank provides food to hundreds of thousands of our hungry neighbors each year by partnering with more than 550 emergency feeding sites across central and eastern Ohio. Since 1980, the Foodbank has joined food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers, and after-school programs to make food accessible to those in our communities who are hungry. In 2013, the Foodbank distributed 48.6 million pounds of food enabling its partner charities to provide more than 107,000 meals every day. Mid-Ohio Foodbank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity. For more information or to donate, visit www.midohiofoodbank.org.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. Nearly 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Ohio Power Company in Ohio and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east and north Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio. News releases and other information about AEP can be found at aep.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
AEP Ohio
Fay White
614/883-7999
aepohiomediarelations@aep.com
FrazierHeiby
Hannah Ellson
614/481-7534
hellson@frazierheiby.com