Auto Club Installs Energy Reducing Solar Panels on Historic Headquarters Building; Panel Installation Becomes Latest Addition of Overall Energy Plan

    LOS ANGELES--May 1, 2003--The Automobile Club of Southern California has installed 1,534 solar panels on part of its landmark headquarters complex as part of an ongoing effort to reduce energy dependency.
    The panels will produce about 100 kilowatts or up to 10% of the complex's electrical needs. Powerlight Inc., a Berkeley, Calif., company produced and installed the solar panel project.
    "During the past two years, the Auto Club has implemented a company-wide program to reduce energy use, and the solar panels at headquarters are the latest element in that program," said Administrative Vice President Jeff Prokop. "We wanted to reduce our energy use and do it in a way that was clean and simple to maintain. The panels cost about $1 million, and two-thirds of the cost was returned in the form of rebates from the DWP."
    In addition to the solar panels, the Auto Club's energy reduction program included retrofitting light fixtures with low energy bulbs, upgrading motors and adding variable speed drives to equipment and modifying office procedures, including adding motion sensing lighting in common rooms, presetting all facility thermostats to consistent temperature levels and educating and providing incentives to local offices and employees to conserve. Since the start of this program, the Auto Club has reduced overall energy consumption by about 15% or 6.6 megawatts.
    "We salute the Auto Club's environmental leadership," said Powerlight President Dan Shugar. "By adopting clean, reliable, sustainable solar power, the Auto Club is demonstrating an environmentally responsible approach to energy management, and a genuine commitment lowering operating costs."
    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs and legislative advocacy.