Ameren Illinois Utilities Propose Natural Gas Energy Efficiency Plan to Reduce Customer Costs, Benefit the Environment
February 12 2008 - 11:49AM
PR Newswire (US)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ameren Illinois
Utilities have filed an energy efficiency plan with the Illinois
Commerce Commission (ICC) designed to help customers save money by
reducing their natural gas usage. "Through this comprehensive
natural gas energy efficiency plan, we will help customers save
money by using less natural gas without sacrificing personal
comfort or safety," said Stan Ogden, vice president for Customer
Service and Public Relations for the Ameren Illinois Utilities
(AmerenCILCO, AmerenCIPS and AmerenIP). Ogden said this natural gas
energy efficiency plan will complement the Ameren Illinois
Utilities' comprehensive electric energy efficiency plan that was
approved by the ICC on Feb. 6, 2008. "Natural gas energy efficiency
initiatives will allow customers to take advantage of a range of
incentives that not only will help reduce natural gas usage, but
will help lower electrical usage, as well," Ogden said. "Working in
tandem, these two programs can provide customers with the tools
they need to better control their energy usage and realize
significant dollar savings through lower monthly natural gas and
electric bills. "Furthermore, our energy efficiency plan can
benefit the environment. By using less natural gas and electricity
at home, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better protect
our environment," Ogden said. The energy used in a typical home can
be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of
the average automobile, according to the U.S. Energy Department. As
proposed by the Ameren Illinois Utilities, the natural gas energy
efficiency plan will begin in January 2009. Customers will be given
a variety of options from which to cut their energy costs. For
example, the plan proposes incentives for residential customers to
install high-efficiency furnaces, automatic programmable
thermostats, water heater and hot water pipe insulation, wall
insulation and low-emissivity double-pane windows. There also will
be programs for low-income customers and incentives for apartment
building owners and commercial customers that will help them
improve energy efficiency. By the end of the program's first year,
the Ameren Illinois Utilities estimate the natural gas energy
efficiency efforts will reduce natural gas usage by an amount
sufficient to serve about 1,400 single family homes for a year. In
the second year, the goal is to reduce usage by an amount equal to
the natural gas needed to supply about 2,800 single family homes
for one year. By the end of the third year, the target is to reduce
usage by an amount equal to the annual natural gas requirements of
about 4,200 homes. The energy efficiency programs will be funded by
a small ICC-approved charge that will appear on customer bills. For
a residential customer using 750 therms per year, this charge will
average about 36 cents per month. Customers who improve their
energy efficiency at homes or at their businesses can anticipate
savings well in excess of this small charge. The Ameren Illinois
Utilities purchase natural gas from gas producers located in
various U.S. natural gas production areas. The wholesale price is
not regulated, but rises and falls based upon market conditions
caused by supply and demand. The Ameren Illinois Utilities pass the
cost of natural gas on to customers, dollar for dollar without any
markup in price, through the Gas Charge (also referred to as the
PGA, which means "purchased gas adjustment"). About three-fourths
of a residential customer's bill is the actual cost of natural gas
from these suppliers recovered through the Gas Charge. The Ameren
Illinois Utilities do not profit from the Gas Charge. As the
natural gas energy efficiency programs are fully developed, the
Ameren Illinois Utilities will present details on their Web site
(http://www.ameren.com/) and in their AmerenLines customer
newsletter. The Ameren Illinois Utilities serve 1.2 million
electric and 840,000 natural gas customers in a 43,700-square-mile
area of Illinois. DATASOURCE: Ameren Illinois Utilities CONTACT:
Leigh Morris, +1-217-535-5228, or Erica Abbett, +1-618-236-4329, or
Neal Johnson, +1-309-677-5284, all of Ameren Illinois Utilities Web
site: http://www.ameren.com/
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