Southern : Georgia Power recognizes Gwinnett County Public Schools for commitment to energy efficiency

ATLANTA - Sept. 28, 2016 - Georgia Power recently joined Gwinnett County Public Schools to recognize the school system for its commitment to energy efficiency and mark the system's latest effort to complete energy efficiency upgrades at multiple facilities. As part of the recognition, the state's largest school district received a rebate for more than $81,000 through Georgia Power's Commercial Energy Efficiency program. Gwinnett County Public Schools earned the rebate by completing various energy efficiency upgrades including replacing old lighting with new LED fixtures, installation of occupancy sensors in classrooms and heating and air conditioning improvements.

Gwinnett County Public Schools facilities benefiting from energy efficiency improvements included K-12 schools such as Lilburn Elementary School; Simpson Elementary School; Berkmar Middle School; Berkmar High School; Meadowcreek High School and the Arcado Bus Shop.

'We are focused on helping all of our customers save money and energy and continuously look for new technologies to help improve their energy use and provide savings,' said Jeff Smith, manager of energy efficiency strategy and implementation for Georgia Power. 'Gwinnett County Public Schools has pursued every rebate dollar possible through these upgrades and is maximizing their savings.'

'Georgia Power has assisted us with more than 46 facility audits on our campuses and is our trusted partner in helping us develop energy solutions to be better stewards of our tax-payer dollars' said Danny Jardine, chief operating officer for Gwinnett County Public Schools. 'With these energy efficiency upgrades, all of our schools are now Energy Star-rated.'

Georgia Power has awarded nearly $9,000,000 in rebates through the Commercial Energy Efficiency program to-date. The program includes educational resources, rebates and incentives which are available to all commercial customers such as school systems, universities, hospitals, museums and many more. For more information, visit www.georgiapower.com/commercialsavings.

Watch Georgia Power and Gwinnett County Public Schools highlight the impact of energy efficiency improvements throughout the district on YouTube.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), one of the nation's largest generators of electricity. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, 21st century coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower) and Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower).

# # #