LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Starting in July, Kentucky Utilities Company and Louisville Gas and Electric Company will become the first U.S. utilities to inform their customers of how much carbon dioxide — the leading component of greenhouse gases — is being produced as a result of their electricity use.

The move, designed to provide customers with information about how their electricity use impacts climate change, will list the pounds of carbon created as a result of the customer's monthly electricity usage. It will also provide customers with tips and suggestions on how to reduce or offset their carbon output, sometimes referred to as "carbon footprint."

"Global warming is a serious issue and each of us plays a role in the future of our environment. Simply putting customers' carbon output on their bills may not sound like much, but we hope that the more information customers have about their impact on climate change, the more likely they will be to use electricity wisely," said Victor A. Staffieri, Chairman, CEO and President of E.ON U.S., the parent company of LG&E and KU.

E.ON U.S. and its subsidiaries are partners in numerous research and development programs and have invested millions of dollars in clean coal research. In 2006, E.ON U.S. made a $1.5 million investment in clean coal research at the University of Kentucky and a $25 million commitment to FutureGen, the world's first near zero emissions generating facility. Providing customers energy saving tools and educating them on the impacts of their electricity usage on the environment, gives customers better control over their carbon footprint.

For example, if a typical residential customer simply switched five of their highest use light bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescents they could save more than $60 annually and reduce more than 1,900 pounds of carbon from being produced.

Additionally, if a typical residential customer turned their thermostat down two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer, that action alone could reduce the amount of carbon being produced into the air by 3,200 pounds and save the customer approximately $98 annually.

"By offering customers a variety of energy efficiency tools, customers have the ability to control their energy consumption, save money and improve the environment," added Staffieri.

To learn about additional ways to use energy wisely visit www.eon-us.com.

E.ON U.S., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a subsidiary of E.ON A.G., the world's largest investor-owned energy services provider. E.ON U.S. is a diversified energy services company that owns and operates Louisville Gas and Electric Company, a regulated utility that serves 324,000 natural gas and 398,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties, and Kentucky Utilities Company, a regulated electric utility in Lexington, Ky., that serves 531,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia.