ROCHESTER – NYSEG and RG&E, subsidiaries of Iberdrola USA, have launched a free online energy efficiency program for residential customers. Energy Saver provides personalized energy-saving recommendations and rewards NYSEG and RG&E customers with points based on how much energy they save. The points can be redeemed for discounts from online retailers.

“This online program offers our residential customers commonsense and effective tools to help them reduce their energy use and their bills,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E.  “Best of all, the program rewards customers for their success.”

How the Program Works

1. Join the Energy Saver program by going to www.nyseg.com or www.rge.com and clicking on the Energy Saver get started button.
2. Learn about energy-saving actions and recommendations. (Location, weather and home profile are factored to make personalized recommendations.)
3. Save money and get rewarded for making smarter choices. Each month participants are sent emails showing how much energy they have saved and how many rewards points they earned.
4. With verified reductions in energy use, participants automatically receive two points for every kilowatt hour (kwh) of electricity saved and 20 points for every therm of natural gas saved compared to the previous year.

Any NYSEG or RG&E residential customer with an active account can join the program. Customers with accounts that have been active for at least one year will be able to accumulate reward points if they save energy compared to the previous year.

The Energy Saver program is funded by the System Benefits Charge (SBC) which New York utility customers pay through their electricity and/or natural gas bills.

For 2012 through 2015, NYSEG and RG&E have a collective goal of reducing annual electricity consumption by 370 million kwh and annual natural gas consumption by 15 million therms through energy efficiency programs.

Other Residential Energy Efficiency Programs

• Refrigerator Freezer Recycling Program: Offers removal and environmentally-responsible recycling of a second refrigerator or freezer. Qualifying residential electric customers receive $30 and can save up to $150 a year in reduced energy costs.
• Residential Natural Gas Rebate Program: Rebates for residential gas customers installing qualifying natural gas equipment and related control equipment.
• Multi-Family Program: Free installation of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in apartments or condominiums. Free installation of energy efficient faucet aerators and showerheads, and water pipe heat wrap in apartments where water is heated by electricity. Incentives also cover up to 50% of the cost of lighting upgrades in common areas.

Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Programs

• Small Business Energy Efficiency Program: Offers eligible customers a free energy assessment and incentives toward energy-efficient lighting upgrades.
• Commercial and Industrial Rebate Program: Offers eligible customers the opportunity to design custom rebates for their specific energy needs or qualify for predetermined rebates for installing qualifying equipment, including lighting; natural gas furnaces, boilers and controls; unitary HVAC; air-to-air heat pumps; and chillers.
• Block Bidding Program: Similar to an auction, bidders are offered the opportunity to submit proposed energy savings and a bid price to achieve those savings. If the bid is accepted, NYSEG or RG&E will pay the customer if they achieve their energy savings target.

Since the first of the NYSEG and RG&E energy efficiency programs were launched in 2009, more than 51,000 of the companies’ customers have participated. Those customers are saving more than 72 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity and more than 2 million therms of natural gas each year – enough electricity to power more than 9,300 homes for a year and enough natural gas to heat more than 2,100 homes for a year.

For more information, visit www.nyseg.com/Energyefficiencyprograms/default.html or www.rge.com/Energyefficiencyprograms/default.html.