December 29, 2008

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Dec. 29, 2008 – Southern California Edison (SCE) offers its customers ways to save energy, save money and help the environment – without breaking the bank.

“There are so many easy, inexpensive ways to conserve energy,” said Lynda Ziegler, SCE senior vice president, Customer Service. “Our customers are already experts at using energy wisely, which is why SCE is the leading utility for energy efficiency. We hope that they’ll find even more ways to live greener in the new year.”

SCE offers ways to save with videos, podcasts and lists of household conservation tips at www.sce.com/tips. You can also catch the Top 10 Home Energy Guzzlers at www.sce.com/CustomerService/highbill-helper/.

SCE’s TOP 10 RESOLUTIONS FOR A CLEAN, GREEN 2009

  1. Reality Check: Take a free home-energy survey online, in person or over the phone to get customized recommendations for using less energy at home without sacrificing comfort. www.sce.com/survey.
  2. Power Down: Make each energy dollar count by unplugging electronic devices when they’re not in use. Consumer electric products are responsible for approximately 15 percent of household electricity use. In fact, the average U.S. household spends $100 each year to power devices while they are in “standby” mode. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR label use less energy to perform these functions, while providing the same performance and features as conventional models. You can also plug all your devices into a power strip and turn everything off at once.
  3. Be a Smarter Couch Potato: A 60-inch plasma TV could cost up to $130 per year if it is on five hours per day (at 12 cents per kilowatt hour). Add on a DVD player, game console or home theater system, and the annual bill can go up to $200 per year. Consider a more efficient LCD-screen TV, and no matter which TV you choose, make sure it’s unplugged when not in use. Beginning Feb. 17, 2009, the nation will shift to digital-only television broadcasts. Those with analog TV sets who do not subscribe to cable or satellite services will need a digital-to-analog converter box, or DTA, in order to continue receiving television broadcasts. DTA converter boxes that have earned the ENERGY STAR label use less energy and automatically power down after four hours or less of user inactivity.
  4. Line It Up: Take advantage of California’s sunny weather and line-dry the laundry whenever possible. Your clothing will last longer and you’ll save about $135 a year in electricity costs. You can also save on laundry products: The sun is a natural whitener, so there’s less need for bleach; if you hang clothing out to dry, there’s no static cling, so you don’t need to buy dryer sheets. If you must use your dryer, make sure it’s not overloaded or underloaded, that you dry lightweight and heavy clothes separately, and that you clean the lint filter before every load.
  5. Be Free: SCE encourages its customers to take advantage of programs that offer “free” money. The Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program pays customers $50 to haul away an old, working, inefficient refrigerator or freezer, which can cost them an extra $300 a year to operate. During the warmer months, the Summer Discount Plan offers up to $200 credit on summer bills for signing up to have the air conditioner compressor cycled off during an energy emergency. http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/Residential/
  6. One Warm Room: Small, portable heaters are a great way to warm up a small space – but remember to keep the door closed to keep the heat in, and to turn it off when you leave. It costs about $23 a month to run a heater three hours a day. You’ll also want to choose a model that’s been certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and has an automatic turn-off in case it tips over. Make sure your heater is at least three feet away from curtains, chairs, firewood, walls and anything else that can catch fire. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it’s marked with a power rating at least as high as your heater. Keep children and pets away from heaters.
  7. Expand Your Range: If you have an electric stove, you’ll cook foods faster at lower temperatures by using pots and pans with flat bottoms and tight-fitting lids. The pan bottoms should match the size of the heating coil, otherwise, you’re wasting energy. It costs about $7 to run a stove for 45 minutes a day. Slow cookers, electric skillets, toaster ovens and microwave ovens use less energy and are cheaper to run.
  8. Think Sun: On Jan. 1, 2009, the Federal Incentive Tax Credit for installing an eligible solar system increases to 30 percent. When you combine that with incentives from the California Solar Initiative program, the cost of going solar is significantly reduced. SCE also offers free classes that explain how installing a solar system can help lower your electric bill.  www.sce.com/csi.
  9. Drop a Few Pounds: When you switch to electronic billing you’ll save about 6 pounds of paper per year. Start with your SCE account at www.sce.com.
  10. Cute, Funny Lights: Take another look at compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which use about a quarter of the energy of an incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. They now come in many different light qualities, shapes and sizes, and can do pretty much anything your old bulb can do – better and cheaper. www.sce.com/cfl.

Media Contact: Vanessa McGrady, (626) 302-2255

About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

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