(LEXINGTON, Ky. - (November 30, 2004) Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) can now make the holiday season a little warmer for a loved one or needy family with Holiday Utility Gift (HUG) certificates on sale now from KU.

A HUG is a gift certificate that credits the utility account of any KU customer. Instead of working like a traditional gift certificate, which can be lost, stolen, or accidentally thrown away, a HUG is a credit placed directly on a customer's KU account. The credit is subtracted from the customer's next KU bill. After a customer purchases a HUG, they receive a gift certificate to present to the recipient indicating the amount of the purchase, which will be credited to the customer's account. The program was piloted to Louisville LG&E customers in 2002, and extended last year to include the service territories of KU and ODP (both subsidiaries of LG&E Energy).

"These non-traditional gift certificates have been very popular with customers during the holiday season, that's why we've decided to make this a new holiday tradition," said Dave Vogel, LG&E Energy's Vice President of Retail Services. "HUGs have made paying the utility bill easier for many customers, especially for nonprofit organizations and those on fixed incomes."

To purchase a HUG, KU customers can visit the company's walk-in customer service centers during normal business hours. In order to ensure the proper KU account is credited, customers should be prepared to provide the address of the HUG recipient. HUGs start at $25 and can be purchased in any denomination beyond that by cash or check. The HUG program continues through Thursday, Dec. 30.



KU, based in Lexington, Ky., provides reliable, low-priced electric energy to more than 512,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in southwestern Virginia. KU is a subsidiary of LG&E Energy LLC headquartered in Louisville, Ky.