Southern Company - Corporate Responsibility Report: Championing Energy Efficiency

Championing Energy Efficiency

Smart Meters combine the technologies of cell phones and computers. They automatically send information on electricity use, plus outage information and other data, taking service vehicles off the road.

Southern Company continues to offer innovative, award-winning energy-efficiency programs.

ENERGY STAR Pledge Leader, 2012 (Georgia Power)
ENERGY STAR Excellence in Promotion Award 2007, 2008 and 2009 (Georgia Power)
ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Energy Efficiency Program Delivery Award, 2010 (Georgia Power)
ENERGY STAR Excellence in Housing Award, 2009, 2010 (Georgia Power)

In addition to these award-winning programs, Southern Company continues to promote the adoption of compact fluorescent lights through giveaways at special events and the safe disposal through recycling bins at local Home Depots.

At Alabama Power, Southern Company is developing a customer web portal that enables customers to program their thermostats remotely and view their energy usage via the Internet.

Additionally, Alabama Power developed a Custom Energy Report Campaign that provides customers the opportunity to receive the results of energy audits online. The website provides energy-saving tips and provides the ability for customers to set personal savings goals, compare energy usage to similar homes, and to receive monthly monitoring reports on their energy usage versus their goals.

Southern Company is working to educate students and businesses on the benefits of energy efficiency through a variety of programs

At Georgia Power contractors have been certified on building science through Building Performance Institute (BPI) training.
Gulf Power and Mississippi Power have also been educating students, parents and teachers on the benefits of energy efficiency through innovative programs at middle schools.
These programs reached over 50 schools in Gulf Power territory and over 3,700 students in Mississippi.

EarthCents
Energy Efficiency Programs

Southern Company programs have reduced peak demand for electricity by 3,900 megawatts. That's enough energy to power 925,000 homes (assuming 7kW/home average) and 9.4 percent of the peak demand in 2010. More on annual carbon dioxide reductions »

Southern Company plans to spend $1 billion on energy efficiency and demand control programs between now and 2020—programs that will reduce peak demand by an additional 1,000 megawatts. Programs include:

Residential

Up to
2%
reduction in annual energy bill

Energy Checkup home energy evaluation

Our energy experts help customers find improvements and low-cost ways to reduce energy use through free energy audits in person, online, or by mail.

Up to
32%
reduction in heating cost

Low income weatherization

We offer assistance to low-income families to permanently reduce energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.

Up to
15%
reduction in annual energy bill

Energy Select/SmartPower

We offer smart thermostats and programming to help customers save money and reduce energy demand during peak periods.

Up to
40%
reduction in heating and cooling cost

Geothermal heating and cooling

Geothermal heating and cooling has been labeled by the Department of Energy as the most energy efficient, environmentally friendly system available today. Incentives are being offered in some areas.

Up to
75%
reduction in water heating cost

Solar thermal water heating

A pilot program with incentives that puts the sun to work is being offered in Florida.

Direct load control

We offer incentives for customers to grant us control of their heating and air conditioning units so we can cycle them on and off during peak-demand times and reduce peak electricity use.

ENERGY STAR^®

Southern Company supports the EPA/Department of Energy program to reduce energy consumption and protect the environment through energy efficient practices and products.

EarthCents Home

EarthCents Home certification will assure high-performance exceeding ENERGY STAR standards and state building codes.

Homebuilder programs

We work with homebuilders to ensure construction includes optimal energy efficiency choices.

Smart Meters/Smart Grid

Nearly 4.4 million Smart Meters are in service. The meters are improving our ability to track outages, restore lines, and stay safe.

Commercial/Industrial

Up to
24%
reduction in heating and cooling cost

Commercial geothermal heating and cooling

We offer incentives in some areas to help reduce the cost of geothermal heating and cooling systems, so our customers can save energy and money.

Real-time pricing

Real-time pricing reduces peak demand for electricity by giving commercial and industrial customers information on use and pricing.

Interruptible load

High-volume businesses that can reduce electricity use for brief periods of time can reduce their monthly power costs and help us lower peak demand, delaying the need for additional generation. Managing demand during peak periods helps us keep electricity generation reliable and affordable.

Commercial construction programs

We're offering free expert help to contractors, architects and building owners on how they can build energy efficiency into their projects. The best time to go green is before the hammer hits the first nail.

EarthCents brochure (PDF 300KB) »

Memberships

One of the founding members and on the board of the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, which promotes energy efficiency in the Southeast, and is a Founder-Level Associate member of the Alliance to Save Energy.
Among more than 60 leading energy organizations that worked with EPA and Department of Energy to develop a National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency.
Joined the Electric Power Research Institute's national energy efficiency initiative in 2007 to help develop smart appliances with energy management technology. (See also Energy Efficiency Regulatory Structures, a report on the need for regulatory structures to encourage sustainable energy efficiency investments.)
Member of the Edison Foundation-Institute for Electric Efficiency, a group focused on advancing energy-efficiency and demand response practices, ideas, and experiences in the power business.
"Diamond" member of the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium. This group seeks to expand awareness and use of geothermal heat pumps, which have the potential to use 25 percent to 40 percent less energy than traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Participating as a co-sponsor of an energy efficiency project with McKinsey & Company to determine the barriers to implementation of opportunities to capture EE.

What EarthCents Means to Customers, Shareholders, and Employees

Introduced in 2008, EarthCents energy efficiency programs help our customers save energy and money while reducing greenhouse gases. EarthCents comprises a set of standing and new programs—and educational efforts—to reduce residential and commercial electricity consumption.

Smart Meters

Smart Meters read electricity use and generate bills without sending workers door to door. But that's just the beginning. The meters also enhance response times for service requests and curtail the number of Southern Company vehicles on the road, reducing pollution and traffic while saving fuel. The meters also better detect the source of outages, shortening restoration time, and detect electricity thefts. Nearly 4.4 million meters are already on duty; all told, 4.6 million automated electric meters will be in homes and businesses across Georgia, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast.

Many customers now have online access to energy use information from the meters so they can better manage the electricity they use, and perhaps take advantage of time-of-use rates.

CFLs

Southern Company supports the use of energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. We back the ENERGY STAR "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, an EPA- Department of Energy nationwide effort to change incandescent bulbs to CFLs. Georgia Power has been named the 2012 ENERGY STAR Pledge Leader. Georgia Power's role in the 2012 campaign resulted in more than 312 million saved kilowatt-hours and energy cost savings of nearly $50 million. See the running tally of greenhouse gas emissions savings.

Other Initiatives

Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles - Through the Electric Power Research Institute, Southern Company and other utilities are assisting carmakers with plans for plug-in hybrid vehicles. We're helping establish charging and energy use standards.

hybrid truck Southern Company was among the nation's first utility companies to receive new hybrid diesel-electric bucket trucks. Four trucks were evaluated in a pilot program aimed at lowering fuel costs and emissions. Southern Company continues to use the trucks along with light-duty hybrids, and has placed an additional order for more.

Energy Efficient Lighting - Demonstrations of energy-efficient LED street and area lights have been conducted at four Southern Company sites and we've installed energy-efficient, electronic ballast, dimmable, high-bay lighting at Southern Company labs and at a customer site in Georgia.

Electric Power Research Institute Energy Efficiency Demonstrations - Southern Company is participating in demonstrations of several hyper-efficient residential and commercial technologies, including variable flow residential heat pumps, residential ductless heat pumps, and heat pump washer/dryer systems.

Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters - These units extract heat from the surrounding air and pump it to heat domestic water. Heat pump water heaters are about 2.5 times more efficient than conventional electric water heaters and 4 to 5 times more efficient than gas water heaters. By using less energy, the units reduce emissions and costs.

Industrial Heat Pump - We're helping customers with technologies like a 500-ton system that captures waste heat from condensers to deliver 150 degree hot water for the facility, and an electric hybrid desiccant that dehumidifies building ventilation air using less than 50 percent conventional compression HVAC technology.

UV for Material Finish Curing - Using only 20 percent of the energy typically used, UV light is being demonstrated for industrial material final finish curing of liquid, powder, and adhesive coatings.

LEED Certifications

Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power recently opened two child care centers meeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™ standards. LEED is the nationally accepted third-party benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The power delivery training center in Alabama is also LEED-certified. We're making use of sustainable and energy efficient building practices we recommend to our customers, like light-colored roofing to reflect the sun, use of natural light indoors, photo sensors to dim or raise the lights as needed, and low-flow faucets.