Progress Energy Carolinas, Advanced Energy and Chatham County Partnership Identifies More Than $100,000 in Energy Savings for Schools

PITTSBORO, N.C., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An in-depth evaluation of energy usage in the Chatham County schools has identified more than $100,000 in potential energy savings for the school system. The evaluation was part of an Energy Manager on Loan program sponsored by Progress Energy Carolinas.

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The Energy Manager on Loan program is designed to help public institutions identify and pursue energy-saving opportunities. In Chatham County, Progress Energy collaborated with Raleigh-based Advanced Energy to provide an experienced energy expert to work on site for three months to evaluate how the county's public schools use energy. At the end of the evaluation, the team identified efficiency opportunities and provided advice and expertise on how the schools can lower their energy bills and free up resources for other educational priorities.

"Energy efficiency is an important part of Progress Energy's balanced solution to meeting future energy demand in our growing communities," said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. "Our Energy Manager on Loan program allows us to help schools save energy and money. The savings we have identified can be directed where they are needed most, into classroom learning opportunities."

The final report summarizing the proposal, potential savings and recommendations was presented to the Chatham County Board of Education at its Nov. 13 meeting. Recommendations for potential savings included energy improvements such as replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), purchasing programmable thermostats for mobile classrooms, utilizing heat pumps instead of electric resistance heat, and sealing of leaky ducts. The report also included recommendations for an energy education and awareness program for staff and faculty. No-cost suggestions included turning lights out when rooms are not in use, setting thermostats to 76 degrees for cooling and 70 degrees for heating, using power-saving options on computers instead of screen savers and turning computers off at night.

"We are grateful to be included in the pilot program," says Chatham County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ann Hart. "As educators, we teach our students to be responsible citizens. This program gives us the opportunity to demonstrate fiscal responsibility by identifying areas in which we can improve our energy efficiency as a school district."

Progress Energy is also piloting the Energy Manager on Loan program in collaboration with Waste Reduction Associates for the Haywood County Schools. Similar in structure to the Chatham County project, the Haywood project began in September and the results will be announced in the first quarter of 2008.

Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $10 billion in annual revenues. The company includes two major utilities that serve more than 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. Progress Energy is the 2006 recipient of the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence. The company also is the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. Progress Energy serves two fast-growing areas of the country, and the company 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 the company's Web site at http://www.progress-energy.com/.