FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. May 3, 2012 – Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) has launched Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES), an energy efficiency solution for homeowners who want to reduce their energy use and improve home comfort but don’t know how. Rebates are available for home energy audits as part of the program.

SWEPCO is the only electric utility in Arkansas to offer this comprehensive program to customers. Specially trained and certified contractors conduct home energy audits using state-of-the-art technology and provide personalized recommendations based on the home, the best of building science, and the standardized HPwES process. Backed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U. S. Department of Energy, HPwES provides a whole-house approach to improving a home’s comfort, safety and air quality and may reduce energy bills by up to 20 percent. Contractors also perform a “test-out” of each home to ensure the improvements have been completed safely and effectively.

SWEPCO offers a $300 rebate to help cover the cost of the audit with the installation of at least two recommended improvements. Additional rebates for specific energy efficiency improvements are available to homeowners.  All rebates are first-come, first-served and are reserved for 90 days.

“Home Performance with ENERGY STAR provides a great way to help our customers learn about energy efficiency while actively making changes to their home that will save them energy and money,” said Phil Watkins, SWEPCO Manager of Energy Efficiency and Consumer Programs.

HPwES is just one of the many energy efficiency solutions that SWEPCO offers to residential customers in Arkansas. SWEPCO also offers point of purchase and mail-in rebates for qualifying ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), clothes washers, refrigerators, and window A/Cs. SWEPCO offers these rebates as part of its commitment to reduce energy consumption and demand. Visit www.SWEPCOgridSMART.com for residential, commercial and industrial program details.

SWEPCO serves 520,400 customers in three states, including 113, 700 in western Arkansas, 225,700 in Louisiana and 181,000 in Texas. Information about the company can be found at www.SWEPCO.com.  SWEPCO is a unit of American Electric Power (AEP).