(LOUISVILLE, Ky. - December 15, 2004) In an effort to help its customers cope with higher heating costs, Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) is doubling its donation to the Community Winterhelp program that helps customers in financial crises pay their heating bills.

For the second consecutive year, LG&E will match residential customers' donations to Community Winterhelp on a dollar-for-dollar basis through April. That is an increase over the traditional 25-cent match throughout the year.

Community Winterhelp is a nonprofit program promoted by the utility and managed by an independent third party. In 2004 the program raised more than $240,000 and served over 1,700 families in Louisville Metro. Since 1983, Winterhelp has raised over 4 million dollars. Approximately 1 million of that has been donated by LG&E. The dollars raised have helped over 23,000 families pay their heating bills over the years.

"Like many other utilities across the nation, LG&E is paying higher prices for natural gas," said Dave Vogel, LG&E Energy's Vice President of Retail Services. "While we can't control the market forces, we can play a leadership role in our community to bring the private and public sectors together and provide unique programs in order to make higher heating costs more bearable to those who are most at risk."

Residential customers may donate to Community Winterhelp by rounding their monthly utility bill up to the nearest dollar, by making a monthly pledge or through a one-time contribution. Community Winterhelp funds are distributed based on income; however, income guidelines are generally less restrictive than other programs. Donations are tax-deductible.



LG&E is a wholly owned subsidiary of LG&E Energy LLC that serves 312,000 natural gas and 384,000 electric customers in Louisville, Ky., and 16 surrounding counties.