Deliver Your News to the World

Southern California Edison Sees Significant Energy Efficiency Advances From New Public Utility Commission Policy


WEBWIRE

SCE energy-efficiency programs receive additional recognition internationally and domestically

Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, believes a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) policy adopted today will further strengthen California’s leadership promoting customer energy-efficiency programs. The new policy allows utility shareholders to participate in the benefits of successful programs.

“We commend the commission for its continuing energy-efficiency leadership,” said Edison International Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John E. Bryson. “We are proud of our nationwide energy efficiency leadership and this action by the commission raises these efforts to an even higher level of importance.”

California leads the nation in consumer energy efficiency. While average U.S. per-person energy use has increased by 45 percent during the past 30 years, California’s per capita use has remained relatively flat as a result of the state’s energy-efficiency measures, according to the California Energy Commission’s 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report.

SCE already has the most successful energy-efficiency program of any U.S. utility. During the past five years, SCE customers have saved more than four billion kilowatt-hours — enough energy to power 500,000 homes for an entire year. The program has reduced greenhouse gas emissions during the same period by more than 2 million tons — the equivalent of removing 250,000 cars from the road.

“We believe significant additional progress will be made as a result of this new policy,” said SCE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan J. Fohrer. “Our award-winning energy-efficiency program team has done a remarkable job promoting incentives and measures that save customers energy and money. Now, the commission has made advancing customer energy efficiency the business of every department and employee of an investor-owned utility.”

One of SCE’s customer energy-efficiency initiatives, its refrigerator and freezer recycling program, on Wednesday received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Best of the Best international Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for 2007.

SCE’s appliance recycling program recently passed a major milestone — 600,000 old Southern California refrigerators and freezers have been removed from the grid and safely recycled. SCE customers participating in the recycling program receive free pickup of old, energy-guzzling appliances plus $35 for working refrigerators and $50 for working freezers. The units are then recycled by SCE in an environmentally safe manner that captures and processes older ozone-depleting refrigerants.

SCE estimates that customers switching to new energy efficient appliances are saving up to $260 annually on their electricity costs. Those interested in obtaining more information or scheduling appliance pickups can call 800-234-9722 or visit www.sce.com.

For the second time, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy will recognize several of SCE’s programs in awards to be issued on Oct. 2. Included will be SCE’s Innovative Designs for Energy Efficiency Applications program which solicits competitive bids for innovative energy efficiency program concepts to be funded on a pilot basis, in order to test and identify a stream of successful new program concepts that can then be incorporated into SCE’s program portfolio.

Related Facts

* SCE operates the largest utility appliance recycling program in North America (and to our knowledge the world).
* SCE’s award-winning recycling program has safely disposed of:

......

* 30,000 pounds of PCBs.
* 70,800 gallons of oil.
* 516 pounds of mercury.
* 168,120 pounds of CFC-12 refrigerant.
* 67,914 pounds of CFC-11.
* 56,784 gross tons of metal.



WebWireID48395





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.