Because PP&L, Inc., employees at the Honesdale Service Center used energy more wisely, the Wayne County Food Pantry will be able to help more needy families this summer.

PP&L, Inc., presented a $1,000 check to the local food bank today (6/8) at the completion of an energy-efficiency program involving the company's Honesdale area facility.

Juliann Doyle, coordinator of the Wayne County Food Pantry, accepted the contribution from Bill Bergstresser, PP&L, Inc., community development director for the Honesdale area.

When the energy-efficiency program began last summer, PP&L, Inc., pledged to donate to a local charity if employees reduced the service center's electricity use by at least 5 percent.

Employees rose to the challenge despite the fact that, in addition to its normal use, the building served as a 24-hour emergency operations center during three major storms in the past year.

Most of the energy savings came from simple actions such as turning off lights; turning off computers and work stations at the end of the day; using energy-saving features on computers, printers, copiers and fax machines; turning off coffee makers when not in use; and reporting leaky faucets and showers.

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

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

"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 customer demand," he said.

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