March 23, 2006
Fifth EPA and DOE 2006 ENERGY STAR® Award cites
“sustained excellence” of customer responses to energy efficient programs
offered by Southern California Edison (SCE)
ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 23, 2006—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week presented Southern California Edison (SCE) and its customers with the agencies’ 2006 ENERGY STAR® award for “sustained excellence” in energy-efficiency programs. This is the fifth time SCE has been ranked at the top of the nation’s utilities for the effectiveness of its energy-efficiency rebate program.
“California utilities have the largest set of energy efficiency programs of any region in the country and our customers are participating in record numbers,” said SCE Senior Vice President of Customer Service Lynda Ziegler. “Our customers are switching to energy-efficient appliances and equipment at a rate that, during the next three years, will eliminate 3.4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing the emissions of 650,000 cars from Southern California highways.”
The ENERGY STAR® award recognizes the number of SCE customers who took advantage of utility energy-efficiency rebate offers to replace older, less-efficient appliances with high-efficiency units or purchased ENERGY STAR® homes. SCE reports that during the past two years its customers have saved approximately one billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) by upgrading to more efficient home and business refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances.
“Electricity rates were forced higher this year by high natural gas costs, so one of our priorities is helping customers identify ways to save energy and money, before the summer high-use months are upon us,” said Ziegler. “One of the best ways is replacing older appliances with new, more efficient ones with the help of a cash incentive we can provide.”
During 2006, SCE is offering the largest array of financial incentives for energy-efficient upgrades for homes and businesses in its history. For example, cash rebates are available for qualifying ENERGY STAR® refrigerators. For details, go to www.sce.com or call 800-655-4555.
During the past two years, SCE’s energy-efficiency programs have…
- Paid 258,400 rebates to residential, commercial, and industrial customers for energy- efficient appliances, lighting, motors, and heating and air conditioning systems, totaling more than $140 million;
- Provided over 130,000 residential home energy surveys;
- Picked up from residential customers more than 70,000 older, inefficient refrigerators, recycling them in an environmentally safe manner; and
- Assisted builders who constructed nearly 27,000 thousand new, energy-efficient homes.
National ENERGY STAR® Results for 2005
According to Department of Energy reports, with the help of ENERGY STAR® Americans prevented 35 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 alone – equivalent to the annual emissions from 23 million vehicles––and saved about $12 billion on their utility bills. They also saved a significant amount of energy in 2005 – 150 billion kWh or 4 percent of total 2005 electricity demand.
In addition, ENERGY STAR® helped avoid the need for 28,000 megawatts of peak power, equivalent to the generation capacity of more than 50 new power plants.
These benefits have grown by 15 percent since last year , now totaling more than twice the benefits achieved in 2000. Savings are on track to nearly double again in 10 years as more households, businesses, and organizations rely on ENERGY STAR® for guidance on investing in energy-efficient products and practices. The 2005 ENERGY STAR® results represent about one-third of the total greenhouse gas emissions reductions from EPA’s climate change programs.
About ENERGY STAR®
ENERGY STAR® was formed in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. In partnership with DOE, EPA works to offer businesses and consumers solutions to save energy and money while helping to protect our environment for future generations. More than 8,000 organizations share this vision and have joined ENERGY STAR® as partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR®, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 888-782-7937.
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An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.6 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.
