2007-03-27 21:07:59 -

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the second consecutive year, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is rewarding customers who successfully took steps to cut their natural gas usage during the winter compared with their usage over the prior three winters. Customers who qualified for the company's 10/20 Plus Winter Gas Savings Program will receive bill credits expected to total approximately $50 million. An estimated 42 percent of eligible residential and business customers qualified for the credit, which will appear on their March or April PG&E bill.

Qualifying residential

customers are expected to receive an average credit of $20, small commercial customers are expected to receive an average credit of $109, and large commercial customers are expected to receive an average credit of $4,537.

"We developed and launched the 10/20 Plus Program two years ago as an incentive mechanism to help our customers conserve natural gas during the winter months," said Helen Burt, PG&E senior vice president and chief customer officer. "This year, we enhanced the program to provide even more customers the ability to earn a credit, account for colder weather and compare usage over a three-year period. We are pleased with the early results, which show that our customers want California to continue being a leader in energy conservation."

Pacific Gas and Electric Company created the 10/20 Plus Program as a conservation incentive to encourage customers -- residential, business, agricultural, and government entities -- to reduce natural gas use during the winter, which in turn helps keep the overall market price of natural gas down. The incentive, a bill credit of up to 20 percent, was available to almost all natural gas customers.

To earn the 10/20 Plus Program credit, qualifying customers simply had to reduce their cumulative natural gas usage during January and February below the three-year historical average at their home or business. For every 1 percent decrease in usage, customers received a 1 percent credit up to 9 percent. Customers who reduced their usage by 10 percent or more received a 20 percent bill credit. Almost all PG&E customers were eligible and automatically enrolled in the 10/20 Plus Program.

PG&E does not profit from its sales of natural gas, nor from higher gas prices. Instead the company receives a regulated fee for delivering the product to its retail customers. This delivery charge does not change based on the cost of natural gas.

PG&E is also helping customers reduce their energy use, through conservation and energy efficiency programs, including rebates for energy efficient appliances, on-line energy audits, and through programs to help low income households.

For More Information on Energy Savings Programs, please visit Pacific Gas and Electric Company's website at http://www.pge.com/

Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company