
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 15, 1990                   TAG: 9005150097
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

APCO TESTS MAY HELP LOWER RATES

Appalachian Power Co. has mailed initial bills to 40 Roanoke area customers who are testing a new energy management system.

The new program offers customers lower rates for electricity used at specific times of day.

Glenn H. Raynolds, Apco marketing and customers services director, said the pilot project is designed to find out if customers will alter their use of electricity to get lower rates. The system identifies the least expensive time of day to use electricity with low, medium, high and critical price levels.

The Roanoke customers are among 550 American Electric Power System customers in Ohio, Indiana and Virginia who volunteered to participate.

Reynolds said the project will help find ways of working with customers to reduce or shift load, thus helping delay the need to build new power plants. The test will last 12 to 18 months.

- Staff report

by CNB