AmerenUE Pure Power(TM) Program Snags Prestigious Department of Energy Award
October 27 2008 - 5:26PM
PR Newswire (US)
Pure Power Named 'Most Successful' New Green Power Program ST.
LOUIS, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The United States
Department of Energy (DOE) has named UE's Pure Power(TM) program
the "most successful" New Green Power Program of the year, company
officials report. DOE along with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the Center for Resource Solutions are honoring 25
leading corporations, renewable energy suppliers and industry
pioneers this week. Citing Pure Power as the largest green-pricing
programs in the Midwest with its nearly 4,000 customers, the DOE
recognized the renewable energy offering both for "quantitative
criteria, such as customer participation and green power sales, and
qualitative criteria, such as overall value provided to customers,"
according to the DOE announcement released today. The DOE presented
the award Oct. 27 to UE at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards
ceremony, held in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy
Marketing Conference in Denver, Colorado. UE is one of four
companies recognized for their "commitment to programs that allow
consumers to purchase clean green energy options, while also
integrating sustainable energy strategies that make good business
sense," according to today's DOE release. Pure Power is the
company's Green-e(R) Certified voluntary renewable energy program.
Pure Power residential customers volunteer to pay an additional 1.5
cents/kilowatthour on their monthly bills. These funds are then
used to purchase and retire renewable energy credits (RECs) from
regional wind farms, biomass resources and other green, renewable
energy sources. Residential customers can also purchase "blocks" of
RECs for $15 each. Each block represents 1,000 kilowatthours of
power from renewable sources. Large commercial and industrial
customers participate by purchasing blocks only. To date, using a
grassroots approach coordinated by 3Degrees Energy, UE has
purchased RECs equal to 37,000 megawatthours of renewable energy.
The company projects demand will exceed 50,000 megawatthours by the
end of the year. More than 4,000 residential customers are
currently enrolled in Pure Power, with large commercial and
industrial companies including high-profile customers like
Monsanto, smaller commercial/industrial companies like Schlafly
Brewing Co. and even entire communities like St. Louis City, the
City of Clayton and the western Missouri town of Plattsburg. "It is
very gratifying whenever UE is recognized nationally for its
leadership, but it is especially gratifying to receive an award
recognizing Pure Power," says UE President and CEO Tom Voss. "We
knew going in that a lot of face-to-face communication would be
needed to help customers understand our REC-based program. I am
very pleased to see the efforts of UE employees and 3Degrees paying
off in Pure Power's continued growth." With residential electric
retail rates that are more than 40 percent below the national
average, UE provides electricity and natural gas to 1.2 million
customers in Missouri. UE's parent, Ameren Corporation, through its
affiliates, serves 2.4 million electric and nearly 1 million
natural gas customers across 64,000 square miles of Missouri and
Illinois. DATASOURCE: AmerenUE CONTACT: Tim Fox of AmerenUE,
+1-314-554-3120 Web site: http://www.ameren.com/
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