Cinergy Customers Push Electric Demand To New Record Levels

CINCINNATI, July 26, 2005 — Customers of the Cinergy operating companies yesterday set a new record peak demand for electricity of 12,001 megawatthours (mwh), breaking the old record of 11,305 mwh set on August 1, 2002 by more than 6 percent.

In Indiana, a new peak record of 6,409 mwh was reached at 3:00 p.m. EST by PSI Energy, breaking the old record of 6,095 mwh set on July 22, 2002. The Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. set a new record of 5,607 mwh at 4:00 p.m. EDT, eclipsing the old record of 5,311mwh set on August 5, 2002. In Ohio, about 690 mwh of peak capacity is provided by alternate suppliers under CG&E’s customer choice program and is delivered by CG&E.

Cinergy’s electric generation system has performed well in meeting the higher demand brought on by the hot weather and economic growth. In addition, contracts with other power suppliers signed earlier in the year provide additional reserves that can be called up in periods of high demand. Customers concerned about the impact of increased usage on their bills can enroll in budget billing where they can opt for either an annual plan or a quarterly plan. The annual plan provides for a monthly bill installment that remains the same for 11 months. This plan balances out at the end of 12 months. The quarterly plan provides a monthly bill installment that may change automatically—up or down— every three months based on actual energy use. (more)

Customers can take the following steps to conserve electricity during the summer cooling season:

• Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher. As a rule, for each degree cooled below 78, cooling bills can rise by as much as 10 percent.
• Use a portable or ceiling fan to circulate air whenever possible. A fan costs only 1¢ an hour to operate, versus 60¢ an hour or more for central air conditioning.
• Clean or replace air-conditioner filters once a month.
• Turn off room air-conditioners when rooms are not in use.
• When air-conditioning is on, keep all doors and windows closed.
• Install an attic fan that's regulated by a thermostat, if possible.
• Use shades or drapes to block the hot sun from heating up your home.
• Avoid using heat-producing appliances such as your dryer and range during the hottest parts of the day.
• If an air conditioning system seems not to be cooling properly, have it checked promptly. A unit that is having operational problems can cause extremely high bills.

Cinergy Corp. has a balanced, integrated portfolio consisting of two core businesses: regulated operations and commercial businesses. Cinergy’s regulated public utilities in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky serve 1.5 million electric customers and about 500,000 gas customers. In addition, its Indiana regulated company owns 7,000 megawatts of generation. Cinergy’s competitive commercial businesses have 6,300 megawatts of generating capacity with a profitable balance of stable existing customer portfolios, new customer origination, marketing and trading, and industrial-site cogeneration. Cinergy’s integrated businesses make it a Midwest leader in providing both low-cost generation and reliable electric and gas service.