Metro Louisville Gives Project Warm $60,500 for new fiscal year

(LOUISVILLE, KY) Louisville and Jefferson County Metro Government's Department of Housing and Family Services has awarded $60,500 to Project Warm for fiscal year 2010-2011. This contribution will enable Project Warm to continue providing its vital services in Jefferson County.

LG&E Donates $100,000 to Project Warm

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – To help customers better manage their energy usage in 2010, Louisville Gas and Electric Company is again donating $100,000 to Project Warm, which will allow the organization to fund a variety of weatherization programs.

Helping the Louisville community since 1982, Project Warm is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization serving low-income, elderly and disabled individuals by promoting energy affordability, safety and comfort through energy conservation and education. The services and programs provided by Project Warm are free and are offered throughout the year. They include:

• Energy-Saving Blitz -- A program that comprises volunteers who hang interior plastic window covers in the homes of 300 elderly and disabled individuals experiencing financial hardship. Hundreds of LG&E volunteers participated in the November 2009 weatherization event, as they have since the program began.

• First Line Weatherization -- Provides weatherization services, such as replacing and repairing window glass, caulking, and other air sealing techniques for 300 households in need.

• Energy Management Workshops -- These workshops are designed to help approximately 500 households better manage their utility usage by teaching simple energy-saving techniques and providing free materials participants can take home and install themselves. An updated list of workshops is available by visiting www.projectwarm.org.

• Self-Help Pick-Up -- This program provides weatherization materials to financially-challenged, able-bodied households who are interested in lowering their utility usage and bills, and who have attended an energy management workshop in the past.

“Project Warm’s services are vital to our region and provide at-risk people in our community with valuable weatherization tools and education that make a difference in helping them manage utility bills,” said Laura Douglas, vice president of Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs for E.ON U.S., parent company of LG&E. “Since Project Warm’s inception, we’ve been a like-minded partner in the effort to promote energy efficiency and help our customers use energy wisely.”

Frank Schwartz, Acting Director for Project Warm, added: “We have been partners with LG&E since our inception, and are grateful for their financial and volunteer commitment. This year’s donation will once again help us continue to provide year-round weatherization services to the area’s low and fixed-income citizens.”

To learn more about Project Warm, its services and programs, visit www.projectwarm.org.

E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world’s largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 314,000 natural gas and 389,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 538,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.

UPS Grants $25,000 to Project Warm

January 25, 2010 – Project Warm received a $25,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS (NYSE:UPS). The grant is being used to purchase materials for Project Warm’s weatherization programs.

Established in 1982, Project Warm provides weatherization services and energy management workshops to help lower utility bills of low-income households in Metro Louisville.

“An average of 2,000 homes in Louisville receives education, service and materials from Project Warm each year,” said Acting Executive Director Frank Schwartz. “In recent years, however, this number has been increasing while our funding sources are becoming tighter. We are very grateful for the support from The UPS Foundation, which will help us to meet this increased need.”

Materials purchased using The UPS Foundation grant are being used for Project Warm’s Energy Management Workshops and its Annual Blitz. Both of these programs help make homeowners' utility bills more affordable. The funding will also go toward Project Warm’s First Line Weatherization Service. This more comprehensive service provides both short and long term household improvements that result in up to twenty percent energy use reduction per home.

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA, The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, The UPS Foundation has identified the following focus areas for giving: non-profit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, encouraging diversity, community safety and environmental sustainability.

In 2008, The UPS foundation oversaw more than $100 million in philanthropy worldwide, including grants that benefit organizations or programs such as those provided by Project Warm and provide support for building stronger communities.

“The UPS Foundation is committed to funding programs that make a meaningful difference in our communities, so we are proud to support Project Warm's efforts to lower energy bills and energy usage in the Louisville community,” said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation.

Reaching Out to the Immigrant Community

For several years Project Warm has been conducting Project Warm Energy Management Workshops at the Arcadia Community Center. Since May we have been working with several AmeriCorps volunteers at Arcadia Apartments to provide Project Warm First-Line Weatherization to weatherize doorways and seal leaks around windows.

All of the residents at Arcadia are low-income. Most of them are refugees or immigrants and many do not speak English. We have been able to get some of our application and energy education materials translated into Spanish and the AmeriCorps volunteers have been helping their residents through the application process.

We will continue to work with the AmeriCorp volunteers and their residents to weatherize as many homes as possible before the cold weather returns.

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Project Warm 1252 S. Shelby St. Louisville, KY 40203 502 636-9276 Fax 635-9259 Info@ProjectWarm.org