ATLANTA, April 22 -- For the second consecutive year, Georgia Power has been recognized as the nation's top pledge leader for driving energy efficiency awareness under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign, which encourages consumers to take small steps that make a big difference to save energy and help the environment.  This year, Georgia Power collected 145,751 pledges from consumers through its local offices, energy efficiency fairs and community outreach events.  

"Our customers are seeing the light!  They recognize that saving money and protecting the environment is as easy as using ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or setting their thermostat to 78 degrees in the summer," said Georgia Power President and CEO Mike Garrett.  "We continue to talk with our customers about energy efficiency and how it can make a difference in their homes, lives and communities. We are honored to be recognized by EPA for our efforts to promote energy efficiency and help the environment."

Georgia Power also recently earned the 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE).  

An ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, Georgia Power has exchanged over 450,000 CFLs with customers for pledges since participating in its first EPA annual pledge campaign in 2006.  EPA's Web site, www.energystar.gov, shows that this year alone, Georgia Power's "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" campaign has resulted in a savings of over $21 million, or 164,805,122 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or 265,735,377 pounds of greenhouse gases.  

"EPA's 'Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR' pledge campaign has given us the opportunity to engage customers one-on-one and teach them ways to save energy and money," said Angela Strickland, Georgia Power's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Director.  "Our customers want solutions and information on how they can lower their energy costs and energy consumption."  

Georgia Power encourages its customers 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.  

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