ATLANTA, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have named Georgia Power as a 2008 Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award winner for its "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO ) "This is a highly coveted and esteemed award within the energy efficiency industry, so the fact that Georgia Power was an award recipient is a real testament to the effectiveness of our Change a Light campaign and the hard work of all those involved," said Mike Garrett, Georgia Power President and CEO. "As we have clearly seen over the past two years, the "Change a Light, Change the World" message is one that Georgia Power and consumers across Georgia have enthusiastically embraced. We're honored that EPA and DOE have chosen to recognize Georgia Power's achievement." An ENERGY STAR partner since 2004, Georgia Power has given away more than 200,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) through its Change a Light campaign, resulting in Georgia leading the nation as the state with the largest number of consumers taking the pledge to change at least one standard light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR CFL. The company has generated nearly 160,000 customer pledges and that number continues to grow. In addition, Georgia Power's campaign included in-store consumer and sales associate education events as well as numerous community and corporate outreach events. Last year, Georgia Power was also one of 10 cities to host the ENERGY STAR bus on its national coast-to-coast tour. According to the ENERGY STAR Web site, Georgia Power customers who took the Change a Light pledge will help save $5 million in energy costs and prevent 78 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Georgia Power Product Manager Vicki Nichols accepted the award on behalf of the company at a recent awards ceremony in Phoenix, Ariz. The Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 9,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program. "ENERGY STAR partners like Georgia Power have shown themselves to be leaders in the ENERGY STAR Change a Light community," said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "They are leading a national movement to show people how becoming part of the solution to global climate change starts by taking energy-saving steps at home as simple as changing a light to ENERGY STAR." Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility with rates well below the national average. Georgia Power serves 2.3 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. About ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy- efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 9,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit http://www.energystar.gov/ or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937). http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Georgia Power CONTACT: Lynn Wallace of Georgia Power, +1-404-506-7676, or 1-800-282-1696, Web site: http://www.georgiapower.com/ http://www.energystar.gov/

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