Washington, D.C. - Jan. 9, 2009 - Energy efficiency and conservation will play an increasingly important role in meeting rising energy demand, said Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO David M. Ratcliffe during the National Association of Regulators and Utility Commissioner's Anybody Can Serve, So Let's Conserve energy efficiency campaign launch. Ratcliffe also noted that along with efficiency and conservation as first choices, a diverse portfolio of generation resources including renewables, new nuclear and advanced coal technologies would be crucial in meeting customers' electricity needs.

Anybody Can Serve, So Let's Conserve is a campaign designed to help inform consumers about the many ways to move toward a more affordable, energy efficient, eco-friendly society by making conservation efforts more accessible, affordable and practical.

Addressing a broad audience including utility commissioners, federal and state lawmakers, consumer advocates and utility CEOs, Ratcliffe noted that energy efficiency programs have a history of helping Southern Company and other utilities meet demand. "Between 1989 and 2005, such programs saved enough electricity to power 74 million average U.S. homes for one year," said Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe also noted that demand-side and energy efficiency efforts have helped Southern Company avoid building more than 3,000 megawatts of peaking capacity since the 1990s, which is enough energy to power nearly half a million homes. "Over the next decade that number will grow by at least another 1,000 megawatts," Ratcliffe continued. "Between now and 2020, we will invest more than $1 billion in energy efficiency programs for our customers."

Southern Company recently launched a program called EarthCents that is designed to reduce customers' energy use and save them money. It includes initiatives ranging from energy audits, weatherization, direct load control, geothermal heating and cooling, as well as homebuilder programs, smart meters and real-time pricing.

Ratcliffe noted that public awareness campaigns like Anybody Can Serve, So Let's Conserve, school partnerships, interactive Web sites, and personal contact are key to helping customers use energy more wisely. "While we do these things now, this new campaign is a creative approach that will help us be even more effective," he said.

Ratcliffe concluded his remarks by emphasizing the need for increased collaboration between federal and state governments, business leaders and the environmental community to meet the energy challenges facing this nation.

With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has been listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer satisfaction for nine consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com .

SOURCE: Southern Company

Web site: http://www.southerncompany.com/

###

Media Contact: Jason Cuevas, Southern Company Corporate Communications, (+1.404) 506.5333 or (+1.866) 506.5333, media@southerncompany.com