ATLANTA, March 4 -- Georgia Power has earned the 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for Program Delivery from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) in recognition for educating and delivering energy efficiency programs to consumers throughout Georgia. Georgia Power will accept the award on March 18, 2010.  

This is the fourth consecutive year ENERGY STAR has recognized the company for its energy efficiency achievements. This is the first time Georgia Power has won Partner of the Year. Previously, the company has won the Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award in 2007, 2008 and 2009.  

Being named Partner of the Year is a considerable accomplishment, with only a few utilities earning this level of recognition. This year's award, which is a higher honor than the previous three years, recognizes the combined marketplace impact of our ENERGY STAR programs. These include customer education, qualified products, New Home and Home Performance.  

"We are proud of our partnership with ENERGY STAR and our efforts to increase awareness of energy efficiency among consumers and the number of people participating in our programs," said Angela Strickland, director of Energy Efficiency and Conservation. "Energy efficiency is a major priority for Georgia Power and we see great value in educating and helping our customers with how ENERGY STAR products and programs can help them save money and protect the environment."

An ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, Georgia Power has taken a lead role introducing energy efficiency and the ENERGY STAR brand to consumers in Georgia and throughout the Southeast. As a result of the company's customer education campaigns and programs, consumer research conducted in November 2009 showed awareness of ENERGY STAR is up 72 percent in Georgia since 2006.

Among the programs that have contributed to increased awareness is the company's promotion of the ENERGY STAR New Home program, which has encouraged builders across the state to build more than 4,300 ENERGY STAR-qualified homes since 2007. This program won the Excellence in Housing Award from the EPA in 2009.

Additionally, Georgia Power has encouraged customers to participate in the "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign, which requests consumers to pledge to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb. Customers who completed a "Change the World" pledge card received a free 14-watt CFL. Georgia Power has achieved top-five status in number of pledges submitted each year since 2006 and was recognized as the National Pledge Leader for the 2008-2009 campaign. In 2009, more than 90,000 CFLs were distributed and since 2006 more than 450,000 CFLs have been given in exchange for a pledge.

Other successful programs include:

• The Refrigerator Recycling Program, which encourages customers to recycle old, inefficient refrigerators and freezers, has resulted in recycling more than 9,000 old refrigerators and freezers since August 2008.
• The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, a new program which encourages existing homeowners to make home energy improvements.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the EPA and the DOE aimed at helping Americans save money and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. The 2010 Partner of the Year Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting energy efficient homes in their community. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

Georgia Power encourages its customers and employees to practice energy efficiency year-round. Take the "Change the World" pledge online at http://www.georgiapower.com/energystar/home.asp.

For additional energy-saving tips, visit our Web site at www.georgiapower.com/save. To learn more about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov.

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility with rates well below the national average. Georgia Power serves 2.3 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties.