PP&L, Inc. presented a check for $1,000 to the East Lycoming Chapter of Habitat for Humanity today (7/13) to mark the successful completion of an energy-awareness pilot program at the company's regional service center in Montoursville.

The pilot program gave employees the opportunity to earn a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice by reducing electricity use at the service center by at least 5 percent over an eight-month period (September 1997to April 1998).

Employees rose to the challenge, reducing energy use by more than 10 percent and saving more than 120,000 kilowatt-hours, said Don Stringfellow, PP&L, Inc. community development director for Lycoming and Clinton counties. The average home in the Williamsport area uses about 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.

Most of the savings came from simple actions such as turning off lights,computers and coffee makers when not in use; using energy-saving features on computers, printers, copiers and fax machines; and reporting leaky faucets and showers that were wasting hot water.

"These are the kinds of common-sense things all customers can do to make wise use of energy in their homes," Stringfellow said.

Reducing electricity use in PP&L, Inc. facilities not only makes good sense, it makes good dollars and cents.

"By limiting the electricity we use to operate our buildings, we make more available to customers, or we can limit the amount of power we must purchase from other energy suppliers to meet our customer demand," Stringfellow said.

Energy savings benefit the environment as well. Reductions in energy use at PP&L facilities during the pilot program prevented 184 tons of carbon dioxide, 2 tons of sulfur dioxide and 1 ton of nitrogen oxides from being released into the air.

Stringfellow said PP&L, Inc. is committed to operating its facilities in an environmentally responsible manner.