(LOUISVILLE, Ky. – March 28, 2003) Louisville Gas and Electric Company has received approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission (KPSC) to offer its Prepaid Meter Program to the entire LG&E customer base. The approval comes after a Feb. 19, 2003 hearing in which LG&E officials filed to expand the program.

The prepaid Meter Program, called Pay as You Go, began as a pilot with about 500 customers. Company surveys indicated that participants were highly satisfied with the program and that it made their utility payments more affordable.

In fact, program participants have cut their energy usage by about 17 percent.

The Pay As You Go technology includes a meter, a display unit and a smart card. Participants purchase credits on the card and swipe it through a display unit that plugs into a wall outlet in their house. The display unit sends credits to the meter, which stores the credits, automatically deducting them as electricity is used. The cards are replenished when more credits are purchased, starting the process over again. The display unit sounds an alarm when the customer's energy credits begin to run low.

"All the good things we've heard about the program were confirmed throughout this pilot," said David Huff, LG&E Energy's Director of Distribution Operations. "It saved customers money and gave them more control of their energy usage. That's why we are pleased to extend Pay as You Go, on a voluntary basis, throughout our LG&E service territory."



LG&E is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LG&E Energy Corp. that serves customers in Louisville, Ky., and 16 surrounding counties.