GAHANNA, Ohio Dec. 7, 2010— As Ohioans begin to face the winter heating season, AEP Ohio is launching two new programs designed to make residential customers’ homes more comfortable while helping them to lower their energy bills. AEP Ohio is now offering in-home energy assessments and audits to help customers identify energy efficiency improvements and earn rebates that can save money.

AEP Ohio’s In-home Energy Programs offer two levels of professional energy audits. Both the In-home Energy Audit and In-home Energy Assessment offer free energy saving products and rebates for the installation of recommended energy efficiency equipment. In both options, professional auditors may help customers choose a pre-qualified contractor to make the recommended energy improvements. Best of all, by implementing select energy efficiency improvements within six months of the energy assessment or audit, customers may qualify for rebates from AEP Ohio. If $1,000 or more of select energy efficiency improvements are made, the customer may qualify for additional rebates to reduce or eliminate their audit cost. Finally, during both the In-home Energy Assessment and In-home Energy Audit, the auditor will install the following free energy saving products valued at over $100 where applicable:
· Up to 12 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
· Two low-flow faucet aerators
· One low-flow shower head
· One LED night light
· 5’ of pipe wrap
· Programmable thermostat (except on a heat pump)

“Many AEP Ohio customers will be looking for ways to make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient this winter,” said Jon Williams, AEP Ohio manager of energy efficiency and demand response. “These new programs will make it easier and more affordable for them to make improvements and to learn which improvements give them the most energy savings.”

The In-home Energy Assessment will cost customers $25 and is a one hour visual inspection of the home. The In-home Energy Audit is a comprehensive diagnostic audit and is performed by a program-approved auditor following Building Performance Institute (BPI) standards. This option includes a blower door test that shows the amount of air infiltration in the home and a combustion efficiency test that gauges the efficiency of appliances and equipment. Based on the results of the tests, homeowners receive a detailed report with a prioritized list of repairs and improvements, their costs and the approximate return on their investment. The cost of the audit is typically $200-$350. But, AEP Ohio will initially reimburse customers $100 if they have an all-electric home or $75 if they have central air conditioning and non-electric heat.

To schedule an in-home energy assessment or audit, customers can simply call (877) 856-2454, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., to speak to a representative.

The AEP Ohio In-home Energy Programs are part of the gridSMART ® initiative offered by the utility to help residential and commercial customers use less energy, manage their bills and protect the environment. For more information about AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency programs, visit gridSMARTOhio.com.

AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at aepohio.com.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

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