SEPTEMBER 2016
SUNNY DAY: TAKING A BIG STEP TOWARD CREATING
A COMMUNITY SOLAR FACILITY
Last month, KU and its sister utility, Louisville Gas and Electric
Company, filed a request with the Kentucky Public Service
Commission to develop a “community” solar facility in Shelby
County, Ky. The subscription-based Solar Share Program
proposes constructing a regional facility for the utilities’
residential, business and industrial customers interested in sharing
local solar energy and receiving solar energy credits generated
from the facility.
The 35-acre site, along Interstate 64 in the KU service territory,
is large enough to accommodate a 4-megawatt solar field.
However, Solar Share will be built in 500-kilowatt sections based
on customer interest. Construction will begin once a 500-kilowatt
section is 100 percent subscribed. Likewise, construction on the
next section and those following will require 100 percent
subscription before each section
is built.
THERE’S MORE
Go to lge-ku.com to:
• Learn about our environmental
upgrades and how we’re
planning for the future
Interested customers can visit
• Find simple energy-saving tips
lge-ku.com/solar to learn more about
• Meet some of our employees
Solar Share and fill out an online
who help keep the lights on
interest form to request updates when
available. Those completing the form
are under no obligation to participate
in the program. Once the regulatory process is complete,
customers will decide if they would like to complete the
enrollment process with the utilities and pay their nonrefundable
subscription fee.
CLEANER SKIES AHEAD: $2.8 BILLION IN
ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS CUTTING AIR EMISSIONS
The program included constructing additional environmental
controls at the company’s E.W. Brown, Ghent, Mill Creek and
Trimble County power plants to further reduce sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as installing technology to
capture mercury and fine particulates. For example, we installed
10 baghouses across the generating fleet. These massive
structures cost more than $100 million each and contain 17,280
bags – each about 27 feet long – acting like giant vacuum
cleaners that trap fine particulates and mercury.
These projects met all performance guarantees while coming in
well-below the original $3.1 billion estimate, producing
significant savings for our customers.
“The success of these projects is attributed to our employees
and contract partners,” said Scott Straight, director of Project
Engineering for LG&E and KU. “It’s a significant feat and huge
milestone for the companies to complete construction projects
of this magnitude safely, under budget and on time.”
KU’s commitment to providing our customers with efficient,
low-cost energy that is environmentally friendly and complies
with federal clean air regulations has never been stronger.
In 2011, the company (and its sister utility LG&E) received
approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission for its
comprehensive environmental plans to meet the new and more
stringent air quality regulations. This multibillion-dollar plan,
the largest construction program in the company’s history, is
nearing completion.
The company’s compliance plan also resulted in the retirement
of six coal-fired power plants, replacing them with a highly
efficient, state-of-the-art natural-gas-fired combined cycle plant
– the first one in Kentucky – at LG&E’s Cane Run site in Louisville.
In addition to significant reductions in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxide and fine particulates, the new Cane Run plant decreases
carbon dioxide emissions and saved our customers millions of
dollars in fuel costs.
Visit lge-ku.com/investments to learn more about these
projects, the company’s ongoing investments and the people
behind them.
Sign up for My Notifications and receive timely reminders about the due date of your bill by text, email and/or phone.
Visit my.lge-ku.com for more information.
BASKING IN THE BREEZE KEEPS CASH FROM BLOWING AWAY
Fans are great for
helping your energy
dollar go a bit further.
For example, a breeze
from a fan helps keep
you cool during
warmer weather, which
means you can save
energy by raising your
thermostat a degree or
two. Plus, you realize additional savings by reducing wear and
tear on your air-conditioning unit. Just remember that fans cool
bodies, not rooms, so turn them off when you leave the room.
And just because we’re heading into fall doesn’t mean you can’t
benefit from using fans. If you have ceiling fans, run the fan on low
speed and flip the switch when the weather gets cooler so the
blades move clockwise. That pushes air upward, where hot air
normally is, and dispenses it more evenly throughout the room.
In some two-story homes, this helps warm the air on the lower
level – where the thermostat usually is.
Finally, choosing the right fan can make a difference.
When shopping for a ceiling fan, get an ENERGY STAR® certified
model because they use half the energy of a standard unit.
By using these American Lighting Association guidelines, you can
get the right size fan for the room:
• Up to 75 sq. ft. – 29"–36"
• 76 sq. ft. to 144 sq. ft. – 36"–42"
• 145 sq. ft. to 225 sq. ft. – 44"
• 226 sq. ft. to 400 sq. ft. – 50"–54"
ONE MAY BE THE LONELIEST NUMBER, BUT IT’S ALSO THE EASIEST
date of withdrawal. You may also want to consider
enrolling in My Notifications to receive timely
reminders about the due date of your bill by text,
email and/or phone.
Whether you own a home or a business, we want
to make sure doing business with us is easy.
One option we offer business owners – also known
as commercial customers – who have several
meters and facilities, and therefore multiple bills,
is our Collective Billing feature. Simply put, all the
charges for every account you have with us are
included in one bill, rather than several individual
bills. This means that only one check – not multiple
ones – needs to be written for payment. Or you
could skip the check altogether by signing up for
Auto Pay. That way your single payment is
automatically deducted from your bank account.
You still receive a statement in plenty of time to
verify the information and record the amount and
Although there is only one bill, each separate
account and its balance is shown on a detail-listing
page, so that information is always available.
Collective Billing is free and easy. Visit lge-ku.com
or call 800-981-0600 to find out how to sign up.
With Collective Billing, commercial customers save
paper, reduce the time and expense of processing
checks, reduce postage costs and improve
operating efficiency.
FOR COLUMBUS DAY, WE’RE SAILING ON A SEA OF SERVICE
KU’s Customer Service offices and call centers will be closed on
Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 10) in observance of the federal
holiday. Customer Service employees will spend the day in
training to discover new ways to serve you.
Remember, your bill is never due on a day the offices are closed.
You can still make a payment by phone on that day if you like by
calling 800-981-0600 and then pressing 1-2-3. Payment can also
be made at one of our authorized pay agents or by using your
online account. Visit our website at lge-ku.com to find the
location of an authorized agent near you, to sign in to or register
your online account and to see all the available options for
paying your bill.
KU
Contact
Information
By Phone
800-981-0600
Monday–Friday
7 a.m.–7 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Self-Service by touch-tone phone
or web:
Anytime day or night
For Hearing- or Speech-Impaired
Dial 711
Business Service Center
859-367-1200
800-383-5582
Monday–Friday
8 a.m.–6 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Editor
[email protected]
Visit our website:
lge-ku.com
In-Person
Customer Service Walk-in Centers
Monday–Friday
9 a.m.–5 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Lexington Office: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (ET)
Like us on Facebook (facebook.com/lgeku) and follow us on Twitter (@lgeku) and Instagram (lge_ku).