Nation's Chains Recognize Outstanding Electric Company Customer Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's leading chain and
multi-site businesses today named the winners of Edison Electric Institute's
(EEI) 2009 National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards program. Ten
electric utility companies and four utility representatives were recognized
for their outstanding service in the areas that the chains believe to be
critical -- Communication During Emergencies, Energy Efficiency Programs, and
Overall Excellence.

The winners of the 2009 EEI National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards are:

Communication During Emergencies
-- American Electric Power
-- Entergy

-- Progress Energy

Energy Efficiency Programs
-- Florida Power & Light
-- NV Energy
-- Pacific Gas & Electric
-- Portland General Electric
-- Southern California Edison
-- Xcel Energy

-- Individuals: Ralph Calleja (Florida Power & Light), Judy Corrigan
(Xcel
Energy), Marguerite Towne (National Grid)

Overall Excellence
-- American Electric Power
-- Entergy
-- Southern Company

-- Individual: Barry Mosser (American Electric Power)

The companies voting in the awards program included national brands such as
Walgreens, Target, Staples, McDonalds, HealthSouth, and Wal-Mart. Thomas R.
Kuhn, President, Edison Electric Institute, said, "The chains put a premium on
utilities that tailored programs and services to meet their needs, and on
companies and individuals that provided them with information they needed in a
simple, fast, and accurate way."

Kuhn added that "the winning utilities and individuals understand that the
health of their business is dependent upon the health of their customer's
business. With today's volatile energy prices and uncertain economic
conditions, the winners know that they must continually work to make their
customers more energy efficient, more productive, and ultimately, more
profitable."

Since its inception in 1988, EEI's National Key Accounts Program
(www.eei.org/na) has addressed the unique and growing needs of those
commercial customers with multiple sites or outlets, including chains and
franchise operations.

Through the National Key Accounts network of electric utilities, these
businesses gain a single point of contact at each utility that serves their
company. This National Accounts executive can offer a variety of valuable
services including expediting new service connections, providing information
about rates, and suggesting ways to improve energy efficiency.

The 2009 EEI National Key Accounts Customer Service Awards were presented
during the National Key Accounts Fall Workshop in Desert Springs, California.

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S.
shareholder-owned electric companies. Our members serve 95 percent of the
ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and
represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We
also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members,
and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate
members.

SOURCE Edison Electric Institute

Keith Voight of the Edison Electric Institute, +1-202-508-5683,
kvoight@eei.org