Press Release

NEVADA PUC APPROVES EXPANDED ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
Nevada Consumers, Businesses, and Environment Will Benefit

(Las Vegas) -- The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of Nevada approved an expanded set of energy efficiency and load management programs for Nevada's consumers and businesses today. The programs were jointly proposed by Nevada Power Company, Sierra Pacific Power Company, the Nevada Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, and other organizations. "The energy efficiency and load management programs approved by the PUC today will help households and businesses in Nevada cut their energy waste and lower their energy bills. This is especially important as electricity prices in the state are increasing," said Howard Geller, Director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), a public interest organization that helped the Nevada utilities develop these new and expanded energy efficiency programs as part of a collaborative effort.

The PUC approved $9.2 million in energy efficiency and load management programs to be carried out in 2003 by Nevada Power Company in its service area in Southern Nevada, and $2.0 million in energy efficiency and load management programs to be carried out in 2003 by Sierra Pacific Power Company in its service area in Northern Nevada. The new or expanded programs include:

• Financial incentives for consumers who purchase high efficiency air conditioning units and accept time-of-use rates;
• Financial and technical assistance to expand conservation programs for homes occupied by low-income households;
• Promotion and incentives to encourage consumers to get rid of (i.e., recycle) older, inefficient second refrigerators and freezers;
• Promotion of energy-efficient "Energy Star®" appliances and other Energy Star® products; and
• Financial incentives to help small businesses upgrade the energy efficiency of their air conditioning systems and lighting.

"These programs are designed to help our customers understand our product, electricity, and to use this product more efficiently, thus reducing power consumed and their energy bills," stated Bob Balzar, Director of Energy Efficiency and Conservation for Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company.

Jon Wellinghoff, counsel for the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies, also praised the agreement. "This collaborative effort breaks new ground in establishing programs that will directly address summer peak energy use and thereby reduce adverse impacts on the environment both locally in the Southwest and globally," Wellinghoff added. "It sets the stage for expanded energy efficiency programs that will provide even greater environmental benefits in the future." The Land and Water Fund of the Rockies is a non-profit environmental law and policy center promoting clean energy in the Intermountain West.

About SWEEP: The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection in six southwest states. For more information, visit the SWEEP web site at www.swenergy.org.

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Last Updated: 03/14/2008