The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), a subsidiary of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), with a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by delivering information and services to its customers to increase energy efficiency. PSO’s accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2010.
 
PSO, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2008, is being honored for work to increase market share of energy-efficient ENERGY STAR qualified products and programs through comprehensive outreach, education, and marketing programs.
 
Last year alone Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $17 billion on their energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 30 million vehicles.
 
"PSO is pleased to receive recognition for our partnership with ENERGY STAR and our work to educate our customers about the value of energy efficiency," said Kathy Champion, PSO’s manager of consumer programs. "By using ENERGY STAR products, or building or buying ENERGY STAR qualified homes, our customers can save money and energy while helping our environment."
 
The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards for Program Delivery are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
 
"PSO is leading the way in creating and implementing solutions to climate change through greater energy efficiency," said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. "PSO has helped its customers understand how they can help protect our environment while saving energy and money."
 
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving approximately 527,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. Based in Tulsa, PSO has 4,405 megawatts of generating capacity, and is the largest provider of wind energy in the state. News releases and other information about PSO can be found on the World Wide Web at www.PSOklahoma.com.
 
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 17,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).