HAINES CITY, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2009) – Progress Energy Florida’s innovative Neighborhood Energy Saver program is expanding to Haines City. The project assists families in low-income neighborhoods save money on their energy bills by helping them use energy more wisely.

In partnership with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the Agricultural and Labor Program, Inc. (ALPI), and the City of Haines City, Progress Energy is installing energy-efficient improvements in more than 1,900 homes at no cost to homeowners. As part of the project, customers also will learn simple, effective ways to manage their energy use and the importance of energy efficiency to their pocket book and the environment.

The Progress Energy Neighborhood Energy Saver program kick-off will take place Sept. 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bethune Auditorium, 915 Ave. E, Building C in Haines City. Residents will learn about the program and the energy-efficiency improvements, that, when used in conjunction with energy-saving practices, may save homeowners up to $150 a year in energy costs.

Progress Energy Neighborhood Energy Saver team members will install improvements in two phases: September 29 through December 31 and mid-January through March 2010.

 

“Saving money without sacrificing service is a primary concern to both our customers and our company,” said Michael Lewis, senior vice president of Energy Delivery for Progress Energy Florida. “Through the Neighborhood Energy Saver program, we’re able to help customers in need achieve much-needed financial relief by adopting free home energy improvements and applying valuable, energy-saving tips.”

Each participant will receive up to 16 improvements at no cost, including:
• water heating wraps and insulation for water pipes,
• low-flow faucet aerator and low-flow showerhead,
• refrigerator coil brush and refrigerator thermometer,
• wall plate thermometer,
• HVAC winterization kit,
• water heater temperature check and adjustment,
• HVAC filters and a filter-change calendar.

Progress Energy Florida also helps reduce energy loss through the installation of door sweeps, caulking, foam insulation, weather stripping and clear patch tape. In addition, the company provides up to five compact fluorescent light bulbs. All measures are at no cost to program participants.

This program targets homes and apartments in the following area:
• North boundary
  - Smith Rd. between North 10th St. and North 20th St.
• South boundary
  - Scenic Highway/Lake Marion Rd. between South 10th and South 30th St.
• East boundary
  - North/South 30th St. from Scenic Highway/Lake Marion Rd. to Baker Dairy Rd./Baker Ave. and 20th St. between Baker Dairy Rd./Baker Ave. and Smith Rd.
• West boundary
  - North 10th St. from Smith Rd. to Ave. F;
  - North Lakeside Dr. from Ave. F to North 3rd St.;
  - North 3rd St. to East Johnson Ave./Claude Homes Sr. Ave.; and
  - East Johnson Ave. to East Hinson Ave. South 10th St./Highway 27 to Scenic Highway/Lake Marion Rd.

Phase one covers the bounded areas north of East Hinson Avenue. Phase two covers the bounded areas south of East Hinson Avenue. A flier showing the eligible area is available upon request.

The area outlined above is one of four Florida communities benefitting from the Neighborhood Energy Saver program in 2009. Earlier this year, the Neighborhood Energy Saver program expanded to East Orlando, Winter Garden and Clearwater. Federal and state guidelines and census data are used to objectively select communities where the program would be most beneficial.

The Neighborhood Energy Saver program began as a pilot project in 2006, in St. Petersburg’s Palmetto Park community. The program was so successful, the company expanded it statewide, to include Apopka, Deland, Perry, Sebring, East Orlando and other St. Petersburg communities. The Southeastern Electric Exchange awarded the project the 2007 Industry Excellence Award in the Rates & Regulation category. To date, Progress Energy has worked in nearly 5,600 homes in 12 communities to install over 100,000 energy-efficiency improvements working directly with our customers to educate families on using energy wisely and saving money.

Since 1981, our customers have saved more than $1 billion by participating in our energy-efficiency programs – a savings that represents enough electricity conserved by customers to power more than 900,000 homes for a year. These programs have helped eliminate more than 8.3 million tons of CO2 (equal to removing more than 1.8 million cars off the road every year). Energy efficiency is critical to meeting our state’s long-term energy needs. It is the quickest, easiest and most environmentally-friendly way to reduce energy use. During the next decade, the utility anticipates these measures will avoid the need for an additional 1,500 MWs of new generation.

For more information on energy efficiency tips that all homeowners can benefit from, visit www.savethewatts.com.

 

Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), provides electricity and related services to more than 1.6 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced approach to meeting the future energy needs of the region. That balance includes increased energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. For more information about Progress Energy, visit www.progress-energy.com.

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