FORT WAYNE, Ind., Jan. 19, 2022 – Local economies across southwest Michigan are still feeling the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many folks are facing financial hardships – some for the very first time. Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is dedicated to lighting the way to a bright future for our customers and communities and supplying a helping hand. That’s why late last year, I&M distributed thousands of LED bulbs to organizations in southwest Michigan.
I&M worked with 12 Southwest Michigan non-profit agencies, including food banks, pantries, non-profits, senior centers and other social service organizations serving low and moderate-income customers. In total, the company donated more than 12,500 LED bulbs or more than 3,000 4-packs of lightbulbs. That’s a total savings of more than 245,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year.
“Agency representatives are so happy to receive the LED bulb donations and Indiana Michigan Power is proud to help our customers when they need us the most,” said Heather Riggle, I&M Energy Efficiency Residential Accounts manager. “The donation enables the agencies to help our neighbors. Even with the flip of a switch, our customers know we are here for them 24/7, 365 days a year.”
One of the easiest ways to save energy and lower monthly bills is to replace traditional bulbs with LEDs. The average home has about 30 light bulbs. Replacing just one traditional bulb with an LED can save a customer $14 a year or more. Take that times 12,500, and it’s an overall savings of more than $175,000 annually for our Michigan customers.
The lightbulbs were distributed in cities across southwest Michigan including, Vicksburg, Benton Harbor, Paw Paw, St. Joseph, Bridgman, Niles and Union Pier.
This is not the first time I&M has donated lightbulbs to our communities we serve. In 2020, I&M donated more than 8,000 LED four-packs to customers in need.
For more information on lighting savings, energy efficiency tips and rebate offerings, please visit www.electricideas.com.
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ABOUT INDIANA MICHIGAN POWER: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 600,000 customers. More than 85% of its energy delivered in 2020 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states, nearly 35 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states, and 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
ABOUT AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER: American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,500 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities 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, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:Schnee Doyle
574-218-5987
smgarrett@aep.com
Tracy Warner
260-479-9484
tkwarner@aep.com