Georgia Power's 'Change a Light' campaign marks successful first year
PRNewswire
NYSE: SO

ATLANTA - Oct. 3, 2007 - Georgia Power kicked off its fall ENERGY STAR® "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign today with an employee energy efficiency fair at the corporate headquarters.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO )

During the event, employees were encouraged to take the pledge to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) as part of a statewide employee pledge campaign.

The Change a Light campaign encourages consumers to take a pledge to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb. 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.

Georgia Power will promote the campaign statewide at its local offices through November. While supplies last, Georgia Power will give its customers a free CFL when they complete and turn in a Change a Light pledge card at one of the local offices. This year the company plans to give away more than 100,000 CFLs.

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).

"The ENERGY STAR Change a Light campaign is an important one because it gives us the opportunity to promote and educate our customers about the benefits of energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and ENERGY STAR appliances," said Chris Womack, Georgia Power's executive vice president of External Affairs.

"As we kick off our fall campaign, we hope that all of our customers will make the decision to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to a CFL. These bulbs are not only energy efficient but also last much longer than standard bulbs, so switching to them is a great way to lower monthly utility bills over the long run."

Southern Company recently presented Georgia Power with a $2,000 award for its Change a Light program. In keeping with the company's commitment to partner with environmentally "green" organizations, Georgia Power's Senior Vice President of Customer Service and Sales Lamont Houston presented a $2,000 donation to Park Pride, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating parks and green space in Atlanta. Among the projects Park Pride has championed are the Atlanta BeltLine, which will create more than 1,000 acres of new parks and 33 miles of trails in metro Atlanta.

Other events Georgia Power will host or participate in to distribute CFLs and promote energy efficiency include:

  • Providing pledge cards and CFLs to Milliken Floor Covering Division for pledge drives October 3 at its carpet divisions around the state.
  • Holding in-store events October 4-7 at five metro Atlanta Home Depot
    stores. Customers will receive information on energy efficiency and the
    benefits of using ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs.
  • Hosting the EPA's ENERGY STAR bus on its national campaign tour. Georgia Power will co-host pre-game activities that include consumer education, accepting pledges, and CFL coupon distribution at an Oct. 15 Atlanta Falcons football game, http://www.energystar.gov/bustour.
  • Collaborating with the University of Georgia through its UGA Campus Link to provide CFLs to students who take the "Change a Light" pledge. Georgia Power hopes to give away 2,000 CFLs at this October 16 event.

Georgia Power encourages its customers to practice energy efficiency year- round. To take the "Change a Light" pledge, call 1-800-306-5261 or pledge online at http://www.georgiapower.com/. For additional tips on how to save energy and money, call Georgia Power - The Energy Expert® at 1-800-524-2421 or visit our website. To learn more about ENERGY STAR, visit http://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.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO
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SOURCE: Georgia Power

Media Contact: Lynn Wallace of Georgia Power, +1-404-506-7676, +1-800-282-1696, corpcomm@georgiapower.com

Web site: http://www.georgiapower.com/
http://www.energystar.gov/bustour
http://www.energystar.gov/