GAHANNA, Ohio Sept. 6, 2011—AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP), honored the Kroger Company (NYSE:KR) today for their leadership and commitment to the advancement of energy efficiency in their business. As the first recipient of the “AEP Ohio Energy Efficiency Leadership Award”, Kroger has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to energy efficiency in their stores by particiapting in AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency/peak demand response programs for businesses.           

Shown with the AEP Ohio Energy Efficiency Leadership Award presented to Kroger are (left to right): Karen Sloneker, director of Customer Services and Marketing for AEP Ohio, Andy McCabe, manager of Commercial and Industrial Programs for AEP Ohio, and Kroger officials Jason Case, Matt Holbart, Kevin Gangloff and Bruce Macaulay, president of Kroger's Columbus Division.

          The award was presented at Kroger, 1350 North High Street in Columbus. At the event, Karen Sloneker, director customer services and marketing for AEP Ohio, commended the focused effort contributed by Kroger. “AEP Ohio is pleased to offer this award to Kroger for their continued and dedicated efforts to make their stores as energy efficient as possible,” said Sloneker. “Kroger is setting the bar for others to follow. Saving money is only one part of the equation. Reducing emissions, through increased efficiencies also helps to protect the environment for future generations.”

          Refrigeration is among the top three energy uses for grocery stores. From late 2008 through early 2010, Kroger installed LED lighting in refrigeration cases in 125 stores in its Columbus division.  Motion sensors were also installed in the tops of many cases at the same time. The installation of LED lighting replacing incandescent lighting in refrigeration cases along with the installation of occupancy sensors in some stores is projected to yield cost savings of up to $1,000 per store per month. Combined, these energy efficiency

measures are projected to save more than 9 million kWh annually. The energy savings achieved by Kroger in

their Columbus division is equal to the amount of electricity used in a year by 790 homes.

Kroger stores across the country have now reduced their overall energy consumption by 30% since 2000.  Using this baseline year, Kroger’s goal is to reduce stores’ overall energy use by 35% by 2013.  “Sustainability has become an integral part of our business and we know that its success is a direct result of our associates adopting sustainable practices into their daily work routines,” said Bruce Macaulay, President Kroger, Columbus Division.  “Today, we are proud to accept the AEP Ohio Energy Efficiency Leadership Award” on behalf of our over 16,000 Columbus Division associates.”

AEP Ohio has been offering business customers incentives for participating in energy efficiency and peak demand reduction projects for implementing industrial process and improvement technologies that reduce energy consumption since the programs began in 2009. AEP Ohio‘s programs offer financial incentives for the implementation of energy efficiency technologies that reduce energy consumption. The incentives can then be used to reinvest in additional or future energy efficiency projects. Kroger is the first company to receive an award for their dedication and success in achieving sustained cost and energy savings.

AEP Ohio offers energy efficiency programs for businesses as part of the grid SMART ^® initiative to help residential and commercial customers use less energy manage their bills and protect the environment. These programs provide incentives to help business customers purchase and install energy efficiency equipment. Prescriptive incentives are available for common commercial and industrial measures including lighting, HVAC, motors and drives, refrigeration, and food preparation and storage equipment. Custom incentives are available for process improvements and other measures not covered through prescriptive incentives. For more information about all of 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.

Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 338,000 associates who serve customers in 2,458 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The Company also operates 786 convenience stores, 361 fine jewelry stores, 1,014 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

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