AmerenUE today donated 400 window-unit air conditioners to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Urban League of St. Louis County and other agencies across Missouri. The giveaway is part of UE’s annual “Be Cool” program.
The air conditioners are ENERGY STAR®-qualified units that meet the strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
Other agencies receiving air conditioners this year are Sts. Joachim and Ann of St. Charles, the Jefferson County Health Department and the Samaritan Center in Jefferson City. These agencies have each received 50 air conditioners. Another 50 units will be distributed to several agencies in Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri.
Eligible recipients, who have already been selected, are UE low-income and low-income elderly customers. Participating agencies use poverty guidelines and other circumstances to qualify air conditioner recipients.
“The annual ‘Be Cool’ air conditioner program is essential to keeping our most vulnerable customers safe during the hot summer months,” said UE Manager of Business and Community Relations Brian Leonard. “However, Be Cool isn’t just about giving away air conditioners, but about encouraging people who have air conditioners to use them in extremely hot weather. On average, it costs about $1.50 a day to run a window-unit air conditioner during the summer. Yet every year, people become needlessly sick or even die because of hot weather—even people who have air conditioners but don’t turn them on.”
This is the fifth consecutive year that UE has offered the “Be Cool” program. Since 2006, nearly 1,900 air conditioners have been given away to eligible low-income and low-income elderly customers.
AmerenUE, founded in 1902, provides electric and gas service to approximately 1.2 million customers across central and eastern Missouri, including the greater St. Louis area. UE serves 57 Missouri counties and 500 towns. The company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. For more information, visit www.amerenue.com.
# # #
Contact: Lisa Manzo (St. Louis) 314-554-6157, Mike Cleary (Outstate) 573-681-7137