ATLANTA – To further demonstrate its support of energy efficiency within its four-state service territory, Southern Company today announced that it has agreed to help fund the efforts of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) over the next three years.

“We are excited about the opportunity to help the SEEA establish its presence in the Southeast,” said Leonard Haynes, executive vice president of supply technologies, renewables and demand side planning for Southern Company. “We look forward to working with the board to further position SEEA as a force to move the energy efficiency debate forward and to increase energy efficiency investments in our region.”

Haynes currently serves on the SEEA board which consists of representatives from various industries, including governmental, manufacturing, and utility.

“The Southeast is the fastest growing region in the nation, which offers tremendous opportunity to foster green buildings and clean industries to compete in world markets by using energy wisely,” says Dr. Marilyn Brown, SEEA Chair and Professor of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “By engaging with regional energy leaders such as the Southern Company, SEEA seeks to make energy efficiency the most important resource to meet growing energy demand in the Southeast.”

In addition to Southern Company’s involvement with the SEEA, the company also is among more than 50 leading energy organizations endorsing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Efficiency Plan. The plan outlines a number of recommendations aimed at addressing the challenges of high energy prices, energy security and independence, air pollution and global climate change through electric and natural gas energy efficiency.

“Southern Company will continue to remain actively engaged in dialogue about the role of cost-effective energy efficiency resources in meeting the needs of our customers,” said Haynes. “We look forward to continuing a rewarding relationship with the SEEA, which we believe will lead to energy efficiency solutions that will prove beneficial to the Southeast.”

In 2006, Southern Company invested more than $73 million to promote energy efficiency through its operating subsidiaries. Coupled with a host of energy efficiency programs for customers, this investment has lowered costs to consumers, reduced overall energy consumption, helped protect the environment and eliminated the need for Southern Company to build an additional 2,800 megawatts of new generating capacity.

SEEA builds regional partnerships to promote and achieve energy efficiency for a cleaner environment, a more prosperous economy, and a higher quality of life. It is a non-profit (501C3) organization active in an 11-state Southeastern region that is home to more than 70 million people. Its recently launched website (www.seea.us) is becoming a portal of information on energy efficiency options and activities in the region.

With 4.3 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier energy company serving the Southeast, one of America’s fastest-growing regions. 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 seven consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com.