LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) recently signed contracts totaling $26 million that expand opportunities for its residential and business customers to save money and help the environment through energy efficiency.
The contracts provide funding through 2008 for innovative energy-efficiency programs, including the following programs for residential customers:
-- Designed for Comfort: This program by Heschong Mahone Group
provides energy-efficiency design assistance, training and
incentives for housing authorities, owners of multi-family
affordable housing projects, and owners of supportive housing
projects (which offer homes to persons with special needs).
-- LivingWise School Program: This program by LivingWise combines
classroom learning and home retrofit/audit projects completed by
sixth-grade students and their parents.
The new energy-efficiency contracts also include the following programs for business customers:
-- Comprehensive Mobile Home Program: This program by American
Synergy Corp. provides no-cost insulation of set-back thermostats,
low-flow showerheads, and other gas energy-efficiency improvements
to qualifying mobile home customers.
-- Constant Volume Retrofit Program: This program by Quantum Energy
Services and Technologies provides inexpensive retrofits of
constant volume heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
-- Innovative "Commercial" Washers Laundry Partnership Program: This
program by Cal-UCONS offers rebates for replacing inefficient
commercial clothes washers and also provides pipe wrap for hot
water pipes in Laundromats, institutions and multi-family
facilities.
-- Natural Gas Air Conditioning: This program by Cypress Ltd.
provides rebates for replacing existing natural gas
air-conditioning systems that are small in size (less than 50
tons).
-- Value + Energy Stream Mapping: This program by California
Manufacturing Technology Consulting provides energy project
evaluations, waste minimization strategies and manufacturing
operational improvements for industrial customers.
Customers who want to learn more about the programs should contact the contractors directly. Contact information is available by visiting www.socalgas.com/energyefficiency and clicking on the "Additional Energy Efficiency Programs" links in both the home and the business sections.
The Gas Company also is expanding its energy-efficiency programs by signing agreements with four additional energy-efficiency contractors. Global Energy Services, Intergy Corp., and Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) will enhance the company's outreach in diverse communities. Navigant Consulting will help the utility plan future energy efficiency programs.
"We want everyone to reap the benefits of energy efficiency, and our new energy-efficiency contracts will help our campaign reach a broader diversity of customers," said Mark Gaines, The Gas Company's director of customer programs.
The Gas Company's ambitious energy-efficiency campaign has a three-year goal of saving about 58 million therms of natural gas -- enough to serve about 107,000 homes for a year.
The new programs are administered under contracts awarded by The Gas Company through a competitive bidding process. Programs are funded by California utility customers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. California customers are not obligated to purchase any services offered by these programs. The trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
The Gas Company is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 19.8 million consumers through 5.6 million meters. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles in most of central and Southern California. The Gas Company strives to provide exceptional customer service to enhance the quality of life in the community. The Gas Company is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.