ComEd Introduces '12 Ways to Green' Campaign Following ICC Approval of Energy Efficiency Programs

Chicago - ComEd recently launched a yearlong "12 Ways to Green" campaign to raise awareness about energy efficiency and other environmental initiatives, following Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approval of a new portfolio of energy efficiency measures that could save customers $155 million during the lifetime of the programs.

The ICC released a final order supporting the energy efficiency programs last Wednesday, which will launch in June. If three-year targets are met, ComEd customers would reduce their electricity consumption by a cumulative amount of about 1.2 million megawatt-hours (MWh). This would equal the amount of electricity needed to power about 140,000 homes for one year. These programs could place ComEd among the top three utilities in the nation within a few years, in terms of annual electricity savings achieved through energy efficiency.

Twelve Ways to Green will educate customers on ways they can conserve energy, save money and benefit the environment. About once a month, ComEd will launch new environmental initiatives through the media, in customer newsletters and at http://www.ComEdCARE.com.

ComEd's 12 Ways to Green is part of a comprehensive environmental strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the carbon footprint of Exelon, its subsidiaries and customers. If ComEd customers follow the 12 Ways to Green, they could reduce their annual carbon footprint by about 4,000 pounds each. Every three people that reduce their carbon footprint by this amount will take the equivalent of one car off the road.

ComEd's portfolio of energy efficiency programs approved by the ICC resulted from legislation ComEd supported last year to establish the Affordable, Clean Energy Standard. ComEd worked with environmental stakeholders and state Senator Don Harmon, a key member of the Senate Energy and Environment Committee, to create these unprecedented commitments to energy efficiency.

"Rising energy prices and global climate change are issues we all face," said Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd executive vice president of Customer Operations, External and Regulatory Affairs. "We are working to provide our customers with the information and tools necessary to take control of their energy bills and reduce their environmental impact."

"This law has become a model for Midwestern states interested in becoming more energy efficient," Harmon said. "Many are aiming to match our target of reducing electric usage by 2 percent by 2015."

Here's a summary of the programs approved by the ICC that will launch beginning in June:

Residential Solutions

• Residential Lighting. The lighting program offers customers instant incentives when they purchase compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and qualifying specialty lamps. A CFL bulb uses about 75 percent less energy than an equivalent-size incandescent bulb and lasts 10 times as long. If a customer replaces six incandescent bulbs with CFLs in high use areas, they can save about 4 percent on their monthly bills. For an average residential customer with a monthly bill of $75, that amounts to about $3 in savings per month.

• Appliance Recycling. Residential customers receive financial incentives for turning in inefficient air conditioners and secondary refrigerators and freezers.

• Residential Multi-Family "All-Electric" Sweep. This program provides incentives to contractors to install electricity-saving measures in apartment and condominium units that use electricity for heating. These measures could include new hot water heater wraps, pipe insulation, low-flow showerheads, CFLs, and high-efficiency clothes washers and dryers in common areas.

• Nature First Demand Response. ComEd will increase participation in this program, in which customers elect to have their central air conditioner compressors turned off and on during periods of high priced electricity to earn bill credits. More than 55,000 customers currently are enrolled, and receiving bill credits up to $10 per month in the four summer months.

Business Solutions

• Commercial and Industrial Prescriptive. This program would provide businesses a menu of pre-approved, environmentally friendly lighting, motors, HVAC equipment and chillers. Commercial and industrial customers would receive an incentive from ComEd for the implementation of these technologies.

• Commercial and Industrial Custom Incentives. Businesses would apply for incentives for more complex projects, such as industrial processes, that provide energy efficiency savings. Applications would show an estimate of proposed savings and require a ComEd engineering review.

Customers don't have to wait for these programs to begin in June to take action. ComEd encourages customers to adopt the first measure in the 12 Ways to Green to adopt their own energy efficiency strategy.

12 Ways to Green. # 1: Measure your impact and set a goal to reduce it.

Visit http://www.ComEdCARE.com and use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carbon calculator found there or at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html. Set a reasonable goal to reduce your impact over the remainder of the year.

Daily activities, such as using electricity at home or driving to work, have an impact on global climate change since they cause greenhouse gas emissions, the most common of which is carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gases trap heat near the earth's surface and warm the planet.

Scientists predict increasing global average temperatures may produce more frequent heat waves, rising sea levels, and other significant impacts on nature. ComEd's 12 Ways to Green will help you identify ways to achieve your CO2 emission reduction goal.

ComEd has taken steps itself to reduce its environmental impact of its own operations through a variety of initiatives including using hybrid vehicles and vehicles that run on alternative fuels, reducing energy consumption at its facilities, and recycling.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation, one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE: ComEd