Time to Beat the Heat CPL partners with Salvation Army to help Valley residents stay cool

McAllen, TX (7/7/2009) - With temperatures on the rise, CPL Retail Energy joins the Salvation Army and other partnering organizations in helping Valley residents find relief from the heat. The Beat the Heat campaign to collect and provide boxed fans and air conditioning units to persons launches Thursday, July 9th, and runs through Wednesday, September 30.

CPL is donating $7,000 towards the purchase of 500 20-inch box fans to kick off the campaign. An official launch ceremony will take place at 1600 N. 23rd Street with the Salvation Army of McAllen, CPL and other campaign contributors on Thursday, July 9th, at 10:30 a.m.

“It’s no surprise that Texas summers are hot, which traditionally means higher usage for consumers trying to keep cool,” said Lisa Dornan, director of public relations for CPL Retail Energy, which announced late last week that prices for all residential customers on the Direct Electricity Plan are "frozen" through the end of August - guaranteeing those customers won't see any price increases through the bulk of the summer heat. “As an energy partner to South Texans, CPL wants to help consumers keep their electricity usage in check while still making sure they can beat the heat. Fans are a great tool to keep comfort levels up and usage low.”

Area residents can help the campaign by making donations to the Salvation Army. Boxed fans and monetary donations can be taken to any of the following collection locations:

• McAllen - The Salvation Army, 1600 N. 23rd Street
• Weslaco - Weslaco Thrift Store, 401 S. Texas Blvd.
• Edinburg - The Salvation Army, 500 E. Cano

Or mailed to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 4766, McAllen, TX 78502

In addition to helping residents obtain fans and air conditioning units, the Salvation Army is also offering assistance to qualifying residents who need help with their electric bills. “Our mission is to reach out to individuals during these trying times and give a helping hand,” said Lidia Herrera, public relations director for the Salvation Army.

Dornan reminded CPL customers experiencing financial difficulty to proactively contact CPL before their bill is due to make necessary arrangements, and that bill-payment assistance is also available through the company’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. “We’ve changed the parameters of Neighbor-to-Neighbor this year based on customer and agency feedback, increasing the amount available to our customers to $600 in a calendar year, to ensure we’re providing that valuable support to our customers when they need it most.”

Requests for obtaining a fan, air conditioning unit, or electric bill payment need to be made in person at the Salvation Army offices, 1600 N. 23rd Street. For information about the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program contact the County of Hidalgo Community Service (Edinburg) or the Community Action Council of South Texas (Rio Grande City), or visit the “Community” page on CPL’s website.

CPL reminds Valley residents that box and oscillating fans, as well as ceiling fans, are an efficient way to keep individual rooms in the house feeling cool, but should be turned off when the rooms are empty to avoid wasted energy use. More efficiency tips can be found on the CPL website.

Note: To obtain an air conditioning unit, qualifying individuals must bring a note from their doctor stating that they have a medical condition that requires them to be in a cool place at all times.

About CPL Retail Energy
CPL Retail Energy is part of the Centrica group of companies, one of the largest multi-state providers of retail energy services in North America. The North American operations have grown to more than 5 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Through its Direct Energy, CPL Retail Energy and WTU Retail Energy brands, the company is the third largest retail energy provider in Texas, and owns a series of energy-related services companies. The company also offers comprehensive energy solutions to more than 60,000 businesses across North America. Globally, the Centrica group of companies is a leading provider of energy and other essential services with approximately 32 million customer relationships. For more information, visit www.cplretailenergy.com.
>
For additional information, contact:

Lisa Dornan
CPL Retail Energy
713-877-3925

Carla Gardiner
Kailo for CPL Retail Energy
361-884-8890

Direct Energy® is a subsidiary of Centrica plc. All rights reserved. Centrica was created following the demerger of British Gas plc in 1997 and is now a leading supplier of energy and related services. To read more about Centrica plc please visit www.centrica.com.