ST. LOUIS, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- AmerenUE is sponsoring several events to help customers save money and energy this year by purchasing or receiving free ENERGY STAR®-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). Using CFLs is a quick and easy solution to lowering utility bills in addition to saving energy and protecting the environment.
"This is one of a number of programs AmerenUE has sponsored to encourage energy conservation," says Richard Mark, AmerenUE senior vice president for Missouri Energy Delivery. "It's good for the environment and great for the pocketbook. This is also part of Project Power On-our billion dollar effort launched this summer to invest in the communities we serve. This three-year initiative will improve reliability and enhance the environment."
Check out our Web site at http://www.ameren.com/ for more on Project Power On.
Here's a listing of the CFL giveaway or discount sale programs available to customers:
-- Sept. 29-30, you can buy for 99 cents each discounted 100-Watt
equivalent CFLs (at some locations a 100-Watt CFL bulb is about $3.50).
These discounted bulbs will be available while supplies last. Just
visit the Sixth Annual EarthWays Center Green Homes Festival and House
Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 29 or 30. More than 6,000 CFLs
will be on sale. The EarthWays Home, a three-story Victorian residence
built in 1885 at 3617 Grandel Square, in Midtown St. Louis, was
renovated in 1994 to showcase practical demonstrations of energy
efficient systems, recycled products and waste reduction practices.
Today this handsome educational facility houses EarthWays Center, a
division of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
-- Oct. 28, about 4,000 CFLs will be sold for 99 cents each at the
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63110.
The sale will go on before and after the AmerenUE-sponsored Classic
99's "From the Garden, Live"® fall concert series. Broadcast live on
99.1 FM, the Oct 28 concert will feature Canadian concert pianist Sasha
Starcevich. It's at Ridgway Center and free. Call (314) 725-0099 for
ticket information or visit http://www.classic99.com/.
-- In early November, watch for news of a 25,000 CFL-bulb giveaway to
senior citizens in need through food banks and senior centers across
the St. Louis Metropolitan Area and in Cape Girardeau. AmerenUE hopes
to bring security and comfort to seniors as daylight becomes shorter in
the winter months by giving away these long-lasting, energy efficient
light bulbs.
And again this year, for the third consecutive year, beginning Oct. 1, 2007, and while supplies last, more than 65,000 CFLs will be on sale at steep discounts through a program sponsored by AmerenUE and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. With the instant rebates, the CFLs will sell for as little as $0.99 each at Home Depots in the St Louis metropolitan area and select Ace Hardware stores throughout Missouri.
The program is focused on encouraging Missouri residents to "Change the World" one light bulb, one step at a time by replacing their home's four most frequently used bulbs with ENERGY STAR®-qualified CFLs. In the average home, those are bulbs used for kitchen ceiling dome lights, living room table lamps, living room floor lamps, bathroom vanity lights and outdoor porch or post lamps. By making this change, a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs.
The program is being held with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national "ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World" campaign. AmerenUE and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are helping Missouri residents make the simple switch to energy efficient lighting by offering instant rebates on ENERGY STAR®-qualified CFL purchases of six or less.
Not only do ENERGY STAR®-qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than typical incandescent light bulbs, but CFLs last up to 10 times longer, making frequent changes of hard-to-reach light bulbs a thing of the past.
"Our goals with this program are to increase customer awareness of energy efficient lighting and encourage the use of these products for homes and businesses," said Mark. "If every household in Missouri replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, it would reduce the state's annual electricity consumption by more than 144 million kilowatt-hours -- enough to light 14,484 homes."
For more information about the "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, call 888-476-9548 or visit http://www.mwalliance.org/cal2007. For information about the Missouri Change a Light campaign, visit http://www.ameren.com/.
About AmerenUE
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation and is Missouri's largest electric utility and third largest distributor of natural gas. AmerenUE operates nine power plants and provides energy services to 1.2 million electric customers and 125,000 natural gas customers in eastern Missouri, including the St. Louis area. For more information, visit http://www.ameren.com/.
About the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources preserves, protects, restores and enhances Missouri's natural, cultural, and energy resources and works to inspire their enjoyment and responsible use for present and future generations. For more information, visit http://www.dnr.mo.gov/.
About the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) is a regional network of organizations collaborating to promote energy efficiency. MEEA's vision is to be a leader in raising and sustaining the level of energy efficiency in the Midwest region by fostering increased market penetration of existing energy efficient technologies and promoting new technologies, products and best practices, including renewable energy.
MEEA's goal is to provide a collective voice at a national and regional level; act as a clearinghouse to identify, evaluate and create successful programs and market assessments for the region; and foster communication on effective energy policy. Formed in 1999, MEEA's strategy is to develop innovative programs that achieve measurable and verifiable results.
About ENERGY STAR®
ENERGY STAR® was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. Today, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy, the ENERGY STAR® program offers businesses and consumers energy efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 8,000 organizations have become ENERGY STAR® partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information, visit http://www.energystar.gov/.
SOURCE: AmerenUE
CONTACT: Susan Gallagher, +1-314-554-2175, sgallagher@ameren.com, or
Mike Cleary, +1-573-681-7137, mcleary@ameren.com, both of AmerenUE; or Holly
Jensky of Hoffman York, +1-414-225-9552, hjensky@hyc.com; or Bonnie Higdon of
MO Dept. of Natural Resources, +1-573-751-6654, bonnie.higdon@dnr.mo.gov
Web site: http://www.ameren.com/
http://www.energystar.gov/
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/
http://www.mwalliance.org/cal2007
http://www.classic99.com/