GAHANNA, Ohio Mar. 17, 2011— AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP), recently announced it is expanding its program designed to help small business customers improve their energy efficiency. The AEP Ohio Express program is an almost effortless way for small business customers, with annual energy consumption of 200,000 kWh or less, become more energy efficient and save money on their monthly electric bill.

            AEP Ohio’s Express Program offers small businesses incentives for installing a variety of energy saving equipment. The program begins with a free facility assessment which provides a proposal of energy-saving recommendations. Once the proposal is approved by the customer, the program contractor then installs the recommended equipment. The incentives are paid by AEP Ohio directly to the contractor; limiting the out of pocket expenses paid by the customer. Those participating may take advantage of low installation costs and short payback periods.  In some cases, up to 100% of the project costs may be covered through the incentives offered by AEP Ohio. Indoor and outdoor lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, refrigeration controls and other proven technologies are examples of projects eligible for incentives in the program.
 
“ AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency programs for businesses have been designed to help our customers offset upfront equipment costs, reduce payback time and save on their monthly electric bills,” said Jon Williams, AEP Ohio manager of energy efficiency and  peak demand response. “In addition, the programs are environmentally smart and help AEP Ohio meet future energy needs.”


AEP Ohio’s Express program was developed to help small business customers who typically do not participate in energy efficiency programs due to a lack of capital to make the improvements, limited personnel and resources or a lack of technical knowledge. The AEP Ohio Express program was introduced in the spring of 2010 as a pilot program in limited areas of the state. The program is now being expanded to include small businesses throughout AEP Ohio’s Service territory. Small business customers interested in learning more about the Express program can call 877-607-0739 or email gridSMARTOhioexpress@kema.com.

The AEP Ohio Express Program is part of the gridSMART ^® initiative offered by the utility to help residential and commercial customers use less energy, manage their bills and protect the environment. For more information about AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency programs, visit gridSMARTOhio.com.
 
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at aepohio.com.
 
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
 
 
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