PG&E Seeks To Enhance Industry-Leading Energy Efficiency Programs in Proposed Application For 2013-2014

Improvements Would Help Customers Reduce Energy Use and Save Money on Energy Bills

News provided by

Jul 02, 2012, 01:48 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today will file with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) a proposed two-year energy efficiency portfolio that, if approved, would enhance the company's industry-leading programs. The proposal would allow PG&E to invest $433 million per year – about the same as current levels – for two years to continue energy efficiency programs that would enable customers to realize energy savings equivalent to more than 277 megawatts (MW) of electricity and 52 million therms of natural gas.

"With the application we file today, PG&E is furthering our long-standing commitment to energy efficiency as a vital resource to meet the energy needs of California," said Steve Malnight, vice president of Customer Energy Solutions for PG&E. "Our programs will continue to offer customers access to innovative energy efficiency programs that help them better understand how they use energy and how to reduce their costs. In addition, through this application, PG&E is redoubling our commitment to partner with our local communities to achieve our energy goals and improve the local economies in the cities we serve."

PG&E's 2013-2014 portfolio will offer energy efficiency services and technologies to agriculture, industrial, commercial and residential customers through multiple channels in collaboration with local government and third-party partners. PG&E proposes to continue its work with component manufacturers and retailers to develop, build and make available new, energy-efficient products for customers. In addition, PG&E plans to continue its advocacy of energy efficiency codes and standards, as well as expand education and workforce training opportunities.

PG&E also proposes to continue and expand its local and regional government partnerships in: Monterey Bay Area, City of San Joaquin, East Bay, Fresno County, Kern County, Madera County, Marin County, Mendocino County, Napa County, Redwood Coast, San Joaquin County, San Luis Obispo County, San Mateo County, Santa Barbara County, Sierra Nevada, Sonoma County, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, North Sacramento Valley, Central Valley, Solano County, Yolo County, Kings County and Tulare County.

In a report released June 27, Three Decades and Counting: A Historical Review and Current Assessment of Electric Utility Energy Efficiency Activity in the States, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that utility energy efficiency programs have "demonstrated their ability to reduce energy use and thereby provide significant economic, environmental and system benefits." The report goes on to state, "The emergence of energy efficiency as a valuable, cost-effective, and significant energy resource has established the foundation for a new era of energy efficiency, an era marked by continued expansion and innovation."

For more than 30 years, PG&E has built a strong record of working with customers to deliver both cost and energy savings through energy efficiency. PG&E's energy efficiency programs have earned recognition from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Defense Council, Edison Electric Institute and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, among others. Energy efficiency offers Californians a way to save money on their energy bills and meet growing energy demand at a low cost while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1976, PG&E's programs have avoided the release of more than 168 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, based on cumulative lifecycle gross energy savings.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company