ATLANTA - Nov. 2, 2006 - The state of Georgia is leading the way in collecting “Change a Light” pledges from consumers, in support of the national ENERGY STAR® “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign which kicked off last month.

The national campaign encourages consumers to take a pledge promising to change at least one standard light bulb in their homes to an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL).

As a result of Georgia Power’s own customer-focused statewide promotion efforts, the company has contributed to the overall success of the state’s current ranking by collecting more than 30,000 pledges from its customers.

“We’re halfway through the campaign and we’ve experienced remarkable success in getting our customers to take a pledge to change at least one standard incandescent bulb in their home to a CFL,” said Dean Harless, Georgia Power’s marketing manager. “Our employees and customers are finding value in knowing that something as simple as replacing a light bulb can save them money on their electricity bill.”

Georgia Power’s “Change a Light” campaign will continue until the end of November and will include the following promotional events this weekend:

• Saturday, November 4 Georgia Power will work with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) to change out incandescent light bulbs in a low- income residential housing complex. GIPL is a non-profit organization that works with faith communities on issues of energy conservation and creation care. Approximately 3,500 incandescent light bulbs are expected to be changed out with CFLs through this initiative.

• Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5 Georgia Power will participate in two in-store Home Depot promotions to educate customers on the benefits of using ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. Those who elect to take the “Change a Light” pledge will be provided a “buy one, get one free” coupon for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. Locations are as follows: 
 
 -- Saturday, November 4, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at The Home Depot, 5950 State Bridge Road in Duluth 

--  Sunday, November 5, from noon until 6 p.m. at The Home Depot, 5300 Windward Pkwy in Alpharetta)

The Change a Light campaign is a joint effort of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

By changing one incandescent bulb to an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, customers can save as much as $30 on energy costs over the life of the CFL.

According to the ENERGY STAR website, the more than 34,000 pledges in Georgia represent approximately 44,000 light bulbs which will result in an estimated savings of 19,655,650 pounds of Greenhouse Gases.

Georgia Power encourages its customers to practice energy efficiency year-round. To take the “Change a Light” pledge, please call 1-800-306-5261 or pledge online at www.georgiapower.com. For additional tips on how to save energy and money, please call Georgia Power – The Energy Expert® at 1-800-524-2421 or visit our website. 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 2.25 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties.

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