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Progress Energy Files Additional Efficiency Programs, Solar Water Heating Pilot

Posted on: Monday, 3 November 2008, 12:00 CST

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Progress Energy Carolinas has filed three additional energy-efficiency programs -- including a residential solar water heating pilot program -- with the N.C. Utilities Commission. The programs are designed to help residential, commercial, industrial and government customers save money and reduce their energy use.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020923/CHM008LOGO-c )

The filings come on the heels of four new programs approved by the commission in October: residential load control, new residential construction and new and retrofit programs for commercial, industrial and government energy users. The company is completing program design on the first four approved programs and expects to begin offering the new energy-efficiency and demand-side management (DSM) programs to customers in the coming months.

The additional programs filed today include:

-- Residential Home Energy Improvement: This program offers customers a variety of energy-conservation measures designed to increase energy efficiency for existing residences. The program will provide a menu of measures and incentives for each participant, depending on individual home characteristics and needs. It will be available to all eligible residential customers and will be administered through a network of pre-qualified contract installers.

-- Commercial, Industrial and Government (CIG) Energy Efficiency: This program will be available to all customers in these classes, for both new construction and retrofit applications. The program will offer standardized and custom incentives for implementing energy-efficiency measures, as well as varying levels of technical assistance to help offset the customer's design and engineering costs.

-- Residential Solar Water Heating Pilot: Under this pilot program, up to 150 customers will be offered a $1,000 incentive to help defray the cost of installing solar water heating equipment. Progress Energy Carolinas will use the measured data gleaned through the pilot program to help determine regional energy-saving capabilities for a potential larger-scale program.

As previously announced, Progress Energy Carolinas is seeking commission approval of cost recovery and appropriate incentives to operate the efficiency and DSM programs, consistent with the state's energy bill enacted last year. The commission is still reviewing an investment in a distribution system demand-response system proposed by Progress Energy Carolinas. That initiative will be capable of reducing peak demand by nearly 250 MW.

In the coming months, the company expects to propose additional programs to the commission, including enhanced efficiency for low-income households and discounts for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

These programs are a key part of the company's strategy to double its energy efficiency portfolio to 2,000 megawatts (MW) and potentially delay the need to build power plants. Pending approval, Progress Energy Carolinas expects to offer these programs in South Carolina as well.

The company continues to provide efficiency information through the Save The Watts campaign. Save The Watts is an educational initiative that features a highly interactive Web site ( http://www.savethewatts.com/ ) with energy-efficiency program details and more than 100 useful tips for customers to save energy. The Web site provides a calculator for customers to measure their energy savings as well as their carbon footprint, a calculation of the individual's energy usage to reflect his or her contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. The company observed its 100th anniversary in 2008. Progress Energy includes two major utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company is the 2006 recipient of the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence. The company also is the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. Progress Energy serves two growing areas of the country, and the company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future. That balance includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company's Web site at http://www.progress-energy.com/ .

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Progress Energy

CONTACT: Corporate Communications 24-Hour Media Line, +1-919-546-6189

Web site: http://www.progress-energy.com/http://www.savethewatts.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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