GAHANNA, Ohio, June 1, 2011 – AEP Ohio customers are being offered a special summer incentive to recycle their older extra refrigerator or freezer during the months of June and July.  Through the company’s Appliance Recycling Program, AEP Ohio customers who recycle either a refrigerator or freezer during the months of June and July will receive a $50 rebate instead of the normal $35 incentive.

In addition, customers who are recycling their old refrigerator or freezer can also recycle an old working room air conditioner and AEP Ohio will give them a rebate of $25 toward a new ENERGY STAR^® model.

“A lot of people are now beginning their spring and summer cleaning projects. This program gives them a quick way to get a head start on creating more space in the garage or basement, and make $50. They’ll also see significant cost savings because older refrigerators and freezers consume much more power than newer models,” said Karen Sloneker, AEP Ohio Director – Customer Service and Marketing. “However, the $50 offer is for June and July only, so it’s important to act now.”

Sloneker said that many people continue to use their older refrigerators for additional food storage after they buy a new one. Those older appliances can account for approximately 15 percent of the average AEP Ohio customer’s electric use.  Refrigerators and freezers manufactured before 1990 can use as much as 1,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year, far more than newer more energy-efficient models This means that retiring a second refrigerator or freezer could result in savings of up to $150 on energy costs annually.  

Customers can participate in the Appliance Recycling Program by calling 1-877-545-4112 or by visiting gridSMARTohio.com to schedule a free pickup. Refrigerators or freezers must be at least 10 cubic feet in size and operational at the time of pickup. Room air conditioners will only be collected if the customer is recycling a refrigerator or freezer.

The old units are sent to an appliance recycling facility operated by JACO Environmental, a leading, national provider of appliance demanufacturing services. JACO’s process includes the conversion of nearly 95 percent of each refrigerator — including metals, plastic, oils and the foam insulation — into recyclable materials.

“Besides consuming three to four times  the energy of newer, more efficient refrigerators, old refrigerators contain a toxic brew that includes mercury, oil and ozone-eating CFCs from foam insulation. As a result, old refrigerators pose a significant threat to the environment when improperly discarded,” said Michael Dunham, JACO’s Director of Energy and Environmental Programs. “This new program helps save energy and the planet.”

The AEP Ohio refrigerator recycling program is one of several energy efficiency programs offered by the utility to help residential and commercial electric customers use less energy, manage their bills and protect the environment. Although the program will remain available to AEP Ohio customers in 2011, the program’s incentive will return to $35 starting August 1.

 For more information about AEP Ohio’s energy efficiency programs, visit gridSMARTohio.com.

            AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. 

            American Electric Power is 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 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-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 and north Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio. News releases and other information about AEP can be found at www.aep.com.

---