Customers of Alabama Power set multiple records for wintertime power usage this month while the state suffered through an extraordinary stretch of below-freezing temperatures.

Three times this month, Alabama Power customers recorded new highs for winter season electricity consumption, topping the previous record set in January 2008. The new record is 11,587 megawatts, recorded on Jan. 11.

While demand for power has hit new highs, Alabama Power customers began paying a lower rate for electricity this month.

The state Public Service Commission in December 2009 approved a $350 million rate reduction, the largest in the company’s history, effective Jan. 1. For a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours, that means a price decrease of $7.20 compared to a year ago.

“We are working hard to keep our rates affordable, and that’s especially important during tough economic times,” said Patrick Wylie, spokesman for Alabama Power.

Despite the record-setting demand, Alabama Power has had no issues in meeting customers’ requirements for reliable electric service.

For more information about how to save money on your electric bill through energy efficiency and other measures, log on to www.alabamapower.com/tips.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.

News Media Contact:  Patrick J. Wylie, 205-257-4155