LOS ANGELES, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) have teamed up to invest $440 million in energy efficiency funding into the community. The two utilities now offer several energy-saving, and potentially cost-saving, programs to residential and business customers in their joint service territory.

"I applaud SoCalGas and LADWP for their unprecedented collaboration in offering energy-efficiency upgrades to their shared customers," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "Jointly, these agencies have made energy efficiency a reality and have allowed Angelenos to save substantially on both their water and energy bills."

The incentive programs for homeowners include Energy Upgrade California and California Advanced Homes. Energy Upgrade California offers energy-efficient home improvements such as air and duct sealing, new insulation and low-flow shower heads, among others. The California Advanced Homes program provides incentives for building more efficient new homes.

"Working together helps customers realize a better return on their energy efficiency investment." said Gillian Wright, SoCalGas director of customer programs and assistance. "This is a great example of how public-private partnerships can benefit the community."

SoCalGas and LADWP also offer Retrocommissioning Express (RCx), a no-cost and low-cost energy optimization program that can reduce electricity and gas bills in qualifying commercial buildings.

"Working with SoCalGas allows us to offer our customers a more complete savings package," said David Jacot, director of energy efficiency for LADWP. "Energy efficiency programs provide an avenue for us to make investments that improve the environment and help create jobs in our community."

Energy efficiency is a key element of LADWP's power supply transformation, which involves eliminating coal power by 2025 and replacing it with a combination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and natural gas. LADWP has doubled its investment in energy efficiency programs this year with the goal of reducing power use by at least 10 percent by 2020.

SoCalGas plans to use its agreement with LADWP as a model to work with other municipal utilities in its service territory to offer similar programs.

About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years.  It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 20.9 million consumers connected through nearly 5.8 million meters in more than 500 communities.  The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border.  SoCalGas is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).

About Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal water and power utility in the nation, was established more than 100 years ago to deliver reliable, safe water and electricity to 4 million residents and businesses in the City of Los Angeles.  LADWP provides its 666,000 water customers and 1.4 million electric customers with quality service at competitive prices. A five-member Board of Water and Power Commissioners establishes policy for the LADWP, which is a revenue-producing proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles.

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company