/PRNewswire/ - American Electric Power's (NYSE: AEP) corporate headquarters building, 1 Riverside Plaza in Columbus, Ohio, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ENERGY STAR, signifying that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency. The building uses nearly 16 percent less energy today than it did in 2007.

Similar to the program for appliances and other household products, a facility that receives the ENERGY STAR must meet energy performance standards set by EPA and use less energy, be less expensive to operate and create fewer greenhouse gas emissions than comparable buildings.

"AEP has been focused on improving the energy efficiency of our buildings during the past few years. Throughout our 11-state territory, we are running our facilities with almost 14 percent less energy than we used in 2007," said Dennis Welch, executive vice president - Environment, Safety & Health and Facilities. "The renovations and investments we have made in energy efficiency are providing environmental benefits while also lowering our energy costs."

AEP has taken the following actions since 2007 to save energy at its corporate headquarters, which was constructed in 1983:

• Updated the building's heating and cooling system with higher efficiency equipment;


• Replaced energy management system controls with newer technology;


• nstalled a high efficiency reflective roof; and


• Made changes to a daytime custodial service schedule, allowing the building's lights to be turned off earlier in the evening.

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes, and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov/buildings.

American Electric Power is 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 38,000 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.

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