ST. LOUIS - Business customers throughout utility AmerenUE’s service territory now have $24 million in incentives available to them to help them save electricity and money. The new Business Energy Efficiency Program gives any nonresidential customer planning to purchase and install qualifying energy efficiency upgrades incentives to help cover the cost of making those improvements.

“This program is one of the best ways to help customers in an economic downturn upgrade their facilities to reduce their energy use and monthly bills,” said Steve Kidwell, VP of regulatory affairs and energy efficiency for UE. “In turn, this program will help UE reduce the demand on its system allowing us to defer building more generation and, therefore, saving money for all energy consumers.”

Incentive levels are subject to program guidelines. Customers may get current program information, including incentive forms, by visiting www.ameren.com/BIZefficiency or by calling 866-941-7299.

The Business Energy Efficiency Program currently offers two types of incentives:

• The Standard Incentive Program participant can earn a fixed amount of cash for installing typical energy efficiency measures that meet UE’s cost-effectiveness requirements, including:

- HVAC

- Refrigeration

- Motors

- Lighting

Upgrades costing more than $10,000 must receive pre-approval for incentives. Customers should call 866-941-7299 for those pre-approvals.

• Custom Incentive Program participants will receive cash based on estimated energy savings that result from energy efficiency improvements on existing facilities. Included are energy efficient equipment retrofits, facility modernization, or industrial process improvements. The incentive may not exceed 50 percent of the total approved incremental project cost. All Custom Incentive Program projects require pre-approval. Customers should call 866-941-7299 for those pre-approvals.

The maximum annual incentive per individual site is $250,000, and the maximum annual incentive per individual customer is $500,000.

With 1.2 million customers, UE is Missouri’s largest electric company and third largest provider of natural gas. UE’s parent, Ameren Corp., through its operating companies, serves 2.4 million electric and 1 million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Illinois and Missouri.

Publication date: 03/02/2009