Despite downright chilly weather, including snow at elevations where it is seldom seen, residential and small business customers are continuing their vigilance in reducing their natural gas consumption this winter to both reduce bills and earn a 20 percent rebate through Pacific Gas and Electric Company's 10/20 Winter Gas Savings Program. Eligible customers who successfully reduce natural gas usage cumulatively by 10 percent January through March will receive a 20 percent rebate on their gas usage for all three months.

Two months into the incentive program, 53 percent of eligible residential and small business customers have reduced natural gas usage more than 10 percent cumulatively during January and February. In order to qualify for the 20 percent rebate, eligible customers must reduce usage a cumulative of 10 percent during January 1 through March 31st over the same months as last year.

The average residential customer who reduces their usage by just 10 percent during the program will receive a rebate of approximately $50-plus they will have saved about $30 because they will have used less natural gas- for an overall savings of $80. Most residential customers will actually save more on their bill because they are reducing more than the 10% minimum required.

As of the end February, eligible customers reduced natural gas usage an average of nearly 23 percent. However, this is a significant decrease over January when the reduction was at nearly 33 percent. The drop in conservation is largely attributed to the cold snap that blanketed northern and central California during the last half of February.

10/20 Winter Gas Savings Program Results to Date

Months Qualifying Average Percentage

Customers Reduction Qualifying

January 2,497,944 32.75 Percent 61.1 Percent

February* 2,014,726 22.88 Percent 53.3 Percent

*Preliminary numbers which do not represent the cumulative reduction and are subject to change

"The weather in January wasn't as cold as last year which helped our customers conserve natural gas, but the cold snaps during much of February and March have proven to be a bit more challenging to keep usage down," said Tom Bottorff, PG&E's senior vice president of regulatory relations. "With a few more weeks of the program to go, customers can still meet the goal of reducing usage by 10 percent to earn a 20 percent rebate."

Although the program officially ends on March 31st, customers need to continue conserving until they receive their April bill for two main reasons. First, gas meters are read throughout the month, not all, for example, on April 1st. All customers have a serial number which coincides with their meter reading date each month (Meter reading schedules are available by going to http://www.pge.com/meterreading). Second, PG&E's billing system prorates usage for this program, therefore some April gas use will be included in the overall calculation that will be compared to use last year.

To ensure customers meet the 10 percent reduction, they need to keep up the challenge to conserve until their April bill arrives either by mail or though PG&E's online services. Customers who successfully reduce usage cumulatively by 10 percent will receive the rebate on their April or May bill depending on when their meter is read. (For example, customers with a "Z" serial will have their meters read on April 28th, meaning if they qualify for the rebate it will appear in early May). The rebate is for the natural gas charges on the January through March bills.

To track current usage, customers can login to PG&E's online services. They will see a customized 10/20 Winter Gas Savings Program report with their latest target and actual reduction amounts through each of the program months.

To access these online services, and also find out about PG&E's time-saving e-Bills paperless online billing and payment service, visit http://www.pge.com and sign up for the free service. Residential customers can also call PG&E's Smarter Energy Line at 1-800-933-9555 to find out ways to reduce energy usage. Small business customers can call PG&E's Business Customer Service Center at 1-800-468-4743.

For More Information on Energy Savings Programs Visit http://www.pge.com/wintergas or Call the Smarter Energy Line at 800-933-9555

Source: prnewswire