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PEORIA, Ill., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ameren Illinois (AmerenCIPS, AmerenCILCO, AmerenIP) invites customers to take a bite out of their energy bills by taking the ENERGY STAR ® Pledge to use less energy by replacing at least one incandescent light with an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL).

"March 10th is the Great Energy Efficiency Day and what better way to celebrate than by taking the ENERGY STAR Pledge," said Karen Warnke, Ameren Illinois energy efficiency advisor. "Your savings begin the minute you start using energy efficient lights.

"As an added incentive, when you take the pledge you will have a chance to win the ENERGY STAR qualified appliance of your choice with a retail value of up to $2,000. Second and third prizes are $300 and $100 home improvement store gift certificates," Warnke said.

Customers can take the pledge by visiting the Act On Energy® Web site (ActOnEnergy.com) and selecting "For My Home." To have a chance to win a prize, customers must take the Energy Star Pledge no later than April 30. For information on how to enter by mail, call 1-866-838-6918.

"ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs are the smart lighting choice. When you use a CFL in place of an incandescent bulb, you can save $5 in energy costs for an entire year. Replacing 20 incandescent bulbs with CFLs can add up to $100 in annual savings," Warnke said.

Ameren Illinois customers can purchase CFLs at sharply discounted prices online at ActOnEnergy.com, by calling 1-866-845-7085 or at participating Home Depot, Sam's Clubs, Menard's, Ace Hardware, CVS, Best Buy, True Value, Meijer, Kroger, Super Value, Niemann Market, Rural King, County Market, Family Dollar and Lowe's stores.

Also, customers now have a convenient way to recycle CFLs. Utilizing a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic opportunity, the Ameren Illinois has placed recycling containers in Springfield Electric stores, many county health departments and at participating Ace and True Value stores. A complete list recycling sites is available at ActOnEnergy.com.

Warnke said AIU electric customers also can begin saving with just one phone call. AIU will pay an electric customer $35 for a standard size refrigerator or freezer manufactured before 1993. The appliance must be operating and used as a secondary unit located in a garage or basement.

"Those old refrigerators and freezers out in garages and down in basements waste a lot of energy," said Warnke. "A standard size secondary refrigerator might cost $100 or more a year to operate."

Eligible electric customers should call 1-866-899-9088 to schedule a pickup of their refrigerator or freezer. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

In addition, Act On Energy is offering rebates to residential electric customers on these ENERGY STAR qualified products: $35 rebates on window air conditioners, $25 rebates on dehumidifiers and $20 on ceiling fans with lights and ceiling fan light kits.

Residential electric customers may receive an incentive of $600 for retiring an existing central air conditioner or heat pump with a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) of 8 or less. A retired unit must then be replaced with a new 14 SEER central air conditioner or heat pump. If the retired air conditioner or heat pump has a SEER greater than 8, an incentive of $110 may be paid.

Residential electric customers who install a new geothermal heat pump may receive an incentive of $600.

For more information on residential programs, visit ActOnEnergy.com, call 1-866-838-6918 or send an e-mail to: ActOnEnergyResidential@ameren.com.

The Act On Energy program has been honored by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA), which awarded AIU with the "Inspiring Efficiency Innovation Award" for two programs. MEEA (www.mwalliance.org) is a collaborative network advancing energy efficiency in the Midwest to support sustainable economic development and environmental preservation.

Additional information about the Great Energy Efficiency Day is available on the Energy Efficiency Council's Web site (www.energyedcouncil.org/).

The Ameren Illinois Utilities (AmerenCIPS, AmerenCILCO, AmerenIP) have been providing safe, reliable energy delivery service for more than a century. The Ameren Illinois Utilities deliver energy to 1.2 million electric and 840,000 natural gas customers in more than 1,200 communities within a 43,700-square-mile service territory.

Act On Energy Summary

Residential Programs

• Cash rebates for ENERGY STAR qualified air conditioning units, dehumidifiers and ceiling fans with lights.
• Online and in-store discounts on ENERGY STAR qualified CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs.
• Receive $35 now and save $100 or more a year in electricity costs by recycling your old secondary refrigerator or freezer. Eligible electric customers should call 1-866-899-9088 to schedule a pickup of their refrigerator or freezer. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The ENERGY STAR new home program to save you energy dollars.
• The Home Energy Performance program provides a professional opinion on how to outfit your home for maximum energy efficiency.
• Discounts are offered on the installation of qualified new high-efficiency furnaces and central air conditioners from a qualified heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor.
• For more information on residential programs, visit ActOnEnergy.com, call 1-866-838-6918 or send an e-mail to: ActOnEnergyResidential@ameren.com.

Business Programs

• Lighting incentives to reduce the purchase price of high-efficiency lighting products.
• Incentives to help businesses reduce energy use by upgrading refrigeration equipment.
• Incentives to upgrade business motor systems to increase output and productivity while reducing energy consumption.
• The Small Business Online Store provides discounts on CFLs, exit signs and controls exclusively for small businesses.
• The Small Business Commercial kitchen program helps small natural gas customers save money by installing energy saving equipment like the free Green Pre-Rinse Nozzle.
• Businesses can get cash incentives for Custom Programs which must be pre-approved before beginning the project.
• Small businesses may qualify for incentives to tune up existing heating and cooling equipment or install new high-performance HVAC equipment.
• The owners and managers of multifamily buildings with three or more units per building may qualify for free energy efficiency products for apartment units and financial incentives for common area lighting.
• Retro commission programs are designed to evaluate existing energy management systems and identify no-cost and low-cost energy efficiency measures to optimize those systems.
• Small businesses can reduce energy bills and benefit the environment with the E-Smart Programmable Thermostat. The thermostat and installation are free of charge.
• Grocery and convenience stores will use less energy with new Act On Energy incentives aimed at lighting, refrigeration and motors than are operated 24 hours a day, seven days week.

SOURCE Ameren Illinois Utilities