January 31, 2014

FORT WAYNE, Indiana – With January’s bitterly cold weather causing an increase in electricity use across the Midwest, our valued Indiana Michigan Power customers may want to consider I&M’s Average Monthly Payment plan.

During a month described as one of the coldest Januarys on record in some parts of our service area, customers’ needs for energy increased. That increased use will be reflected in bills they receive in February.

Customers who are current on their bills are eligible for the Average Monthly Payment plan.  The plan can help customers budget the cost of a month with unexpectedly higher energy use by averaging payments over a 12-month period.

For more information about Average Monthly Payment:
• Go to IndianaMichiganPower.com; click “Level Your Payment.”
• In Indiana, call: 800-311-4634.
• In Michigan: 800-311-6424.

Other resources to help with your energy costs include:

Saving energy

Some steps you can take immediately to help reduce your energy use include:
• Turn off lights and appliances you are not using.
• Open the shades of windows where sunlight is streaming in; close the others.
• Be smart with your thermostat. If the health and well-being of everyone in your home allows it, lower the thermostat. Turn it down when you are going to be gone and before you go to bed.
• Use more efficient lighting.
• In Indiana, dispose of your old, inefficient refrigerator or freezer, and you can not only reduce your electric usage but also receive $40. For information on appliance recycling, call 877-395-5535.
• Complete an online energy checkup at our Web site and receive not only good information but also a free kit that includes four CFL light bulbs and other energy saving measures.
• Receive an in-home energy use assessment.

For information about these and other ways to save energy, go to:
 www.indianamichiganpower.com/save/programs
www.indianamichiganpower.com/save/learn

Help with your bill

If you are behind on your electric bill, please contact us to discuss the possibility of receiving an extension or working out a payment plan.

Some customers may be eligible for assistance from a government organization or social service agency. Call us to find out which agencies to call in your area.
 
For information about bills and agencies:
• In Indiana, call: 800-311-4634.
• In Michigan: 800-311-6424.
 

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,500 employees serve more than 582,000 customers. It operates 3,595 MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,110 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan and 22 MW of hydro generation in both states.  The company also provides its customers 250 MW of purchased wind generation.

I&M is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
News releases and other information about I&M is available at IndianaMichiganPower.com