SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR® program during an event hosted at its headquarters. Through its partnership with ENERGY STAR in 2012 alone, PG&E helped customers save more than $2 billion in average lifecycle energy bills and avoid the emission of nearly 840,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
"More than ever, our goal is to help customers do more with less, and marrying up the ENERGY STAR brand with PG&E's energy efficiency rebates and incentives is especially powerful," said Tony Earley, Chairman, CEO and President of PG&E Corporation. "With many of our customers already doing so much to save energy, PG&E's partnership with ENERGY STAR also serves as a unique opportunity to bring the next generation of energy-efficient products to their homes and businesses."
Last month, PG&E was recognized with a 2013 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award for the utility's continued leadership in protecting our environment through superior energy efficiency. Through its work with ENERGY STAR, PG&E helps customers save energy and money by offering rebates and incentives on energy-efficient products, helping buildings benchmark their energy usage, and collaborating with manufacturers and retailers to sell more efficient products.
The U.S. EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Jared Blumenfeld, presented PG&E with the 2013 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Award at today's event.
"The company's work to promote ENERGY STAR efficiencies when working with its customers is an example of how utilities and businesses can successfully advance environmental stewardship while being mindful of their customers' budgets," said Blumenfeld.
Senator Mark Udall (D.-Colo.), who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also participated in today's celebration, highlighting the importance of ENERGY STAR and commending the leadership of the private sector and utilities to advance energy efficiency.
"As we work to craft a balanced energy strategy that sets our nation on a path to achieve true energy security, the private sector has an important role to play," Udall said. "I am glad to see public-private partnerships, like PG&E and ENERGY STAR, helping consumers and utilities reduce energy consumption and set our country on a more sustainable footing."
For more than 35 years, PG&E, along with the other California investor-owned and public utilities, California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission and state leadership, has championed energy efficiency, implementing a diverse array of programs, services and campaigns aimed at helping customers save energy and money. As a result, California's per capita electricity use has remained relatively flat over the last three decades, while nationwide electricity use has increased by almost 50 percent. PG&E's programs alone have avoided the release of more than 180 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, based on cumulative lifecycle gross energy savings.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
