Duke Energy Ohio Implements Pilot Program for Low-Income Gas Customers

CINCINNATI - Duke Energy Ohio announced today that it is implementing a new pilot program for eligible low-income natural gas customers to help them conserve while saving money on the cost of natural gas service.

The program is available to customers who are at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guideline, are not enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan and who use less than 900 ccf of natural gas annually. The first 10,000 natural gas customers to enroll will receive a monthly credit of $4 to partially offset increases in the monthly fixed charges for natural gas service approved in May 2008 by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Customers meeting the above criteria who have participated in the Home Energy Assistance Program in the past 12 months have been automatically enrolled in the pilot program and notified by letter. Other eligible customers can enroll by completing a self-verification form that is available from the Duke Energy Web site, Duke’s customer service office at 644 Linn Street in Cincinnati, local community action agencies and People Working Cooperatively.

“Although we reduced our usage-based charges to offset higher fixed charges, we understand that low-income, low-use customers are experiencing a burden from this change,” said Julie Janson, president of Duke Energy Ohio. “This program helps lighten the impact while encouraging these customers to continue their conservation efforts.”

Duke Energy Ohio will evaluate the pilot program after the first year and will consult with parties in the natural gas rate proceeding to determine whether to extend the program.

In addition to this pilot program, Duke Energy is offering a number of cost-saving opportunities for residential and business customers that are not based on income requirements. To find out more information, visit www.duke-energy.com/SaveNow or call 1-800-2-Energy.

Duke Energy’s Ohio operations deliver electricity to approximately 690,000 electric customers and natural gas service to approximately 425,000 customers.

Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 4 million U.S. customers and natural gas service to approximately 520,000 customers in its regulated jurisdictions. The company has approximately 35,000 net megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 net megawatts of electric generation in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.