AmerenUE Makes It Even Easier for Customers to Support Renewable Energy
May 27 2008 - 4:24PM
PR Newswire (US)
New Tariff Allows Residential Pure Power(R) Customers to Buy in
'Blocks' ST. LOUIS, May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AmerenUE's 1.2
million residential customers now have the option to participate in
Pure Power -- the company's voluntary renewable energy program --
by purchasing 1,000 kilowatthour (kWh) "blocks" of Pure Power for
$15 per block, rather than paying an additional 1.5 cents per kWh
for 100 percent of the electricity used each month. Pure Power
funds go toward the purchase of renewable energy certificates, or
"RECs," from recently constructed regional wind and other renewable
generators. One REC equals the generation of 1,000 kWh of "green
power" by a regional wind farm or other renewable energy source.
Previously, the thousands of residential customers now enrolled in
Pure Power could only participate by paying on a per-kWh basis. A
tariff recently approved by the Missouri Public Service Commission
(PSC) makes it possible to buy in $15 blocks-an option originally
reserved only for large industrial users of electricity. The tariff
went into effect May 16. "We filed this tariff as a request to the
PSC to give our residential customers more flexibility in
controlling how much they pay for Pure Power each month," says
AmerenUE Senior Vice President, Missouri Energy Delivery Richard
Mark. According to the terms of the tariff, any customer already
signed up with the program can switch to the block option, and new
customers to the program can choose either the original pricing
method or the block option. "However, whichever option the customer
chooses, he or she is still supporting the development of wind
power and other forms of renewable energy in Missouri and the
Midwest," Mark said. At least half of the Pure Power demand is
being met by new renewable generators located within Missouri and
Illinois. Seventy-five percent or more of customer demand will
support wind farms, with the balance supporting other forms of
renewable generation. AmerenUE does not profit from the program,
and there are no contracts to sign. Customers can stop
participating at any time with no penalty. Customers who want to
sign up for Pure Power or switch to the block option can do so by
going to http://www.ameren.com/purepower or by calling
1-866-665-PURE (7873). AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based
Ameren Corporation. Ameren companies serve 2.4 million electric
customers and one million natural gas customers in a
64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois. About 3Degrees
Group, Inc. 3Degrees, which currently runs four of the top 10
performing voluntary utility renewable energy programs in the
nation, is located at 1641 Washington Avenue in St. Louis' historic
Loft District. 3Degrees delivers customized, global climate change
solutions to U.S. businesses, utilities and institutions. The
company engages customers to develop, execute, and communicate
sustainability strategies that add value to their brand. Its
expertise in sourcing verified carbon offsets and certified
renewable energy certificates enables customers to reduce their
carbon footprint. DATASOURCE: AmerenUE CONTACT: Tim Fox of
AmerenUE, +1-314-554-3120; or Cindy Bambini of 3Degrees Group,
Inc., +1-314-606-5328 Web site: http://www.ameren.com/
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