Indiana Michigan Power presented its wide-ranging 2015 plan for energy efficiency to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission this week.
Senate Enrolled Act 340 gave I&M the opportunity to enhance its energy efficiency programs and target them more directly to the needs of our Indiana customers. In its plan for next year, I&M, an operating unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), demonstrates its commitment to continue to reward residential, commercial and industrial customers for using electricity more efficiently.
“We strongly believe cost-effective energy efficiency programs can help our customers and the environment,” said Paul Chodak III, Indiana Michigan Power President and Chief Operating Officer. “We’re pleased to have the opportunity to craft efficiency programs that best serve our customers at a lower cost.”
Programs that I&M will offer in 2015 will remain consistent with the state’s efforts to reduce annual electricity use but will cost consumers significantly less. Some of the savings will be due to I&M administering the energy efficiency programs rather than using a third-party vendor as is now required.
Though some program names and administrative structures will change, I&M will continue to offer popular residential programs such as home energy audits, weatherization assistance, instant rebates on CFL and LED lights and incentives to recycle certain older, more inefficient appliances. I&M will continue to work with interested commercial and industrial customers to identify methods for reducing energy use and will offer certain incentives for energy efficiency.
SEA 340 provides that industrial customers that do not believe they will benefit from the energy efficiency programs may opt out.
I&M’s plans are subject to review and approval by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,500 employees serve more than 582,000 customers. It operates 3,595 MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,110 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan and 22 MW of hydro generation in both states. The company also provides its customers 250 MW of purchased wind generation.
I&M is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), 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 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 40,000-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.
News releases and other information about I&M is available at IndianaMichiganPower.com
Tracy Warner 260-408-3420