More than 9,000 Pennsylvania households have chosen to purchase PECO WIND, a clean, environmentally-friendly wind power option provided by PECO Energy and Community Energy, Inc., a wind energy marketing group.

Since May, PECO WIND has become one of the largest and fastest growing green power programs in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).  The environmental benefit is the same as planting about two million trees or not driving 25 million miles.

"With more than 9,000 customers in just six months, PECO WIND is among the fastest growing utility green power programs in the nation.  We applaud PECO Energy and Community Energy for the successful launch of their PECO WIND program," said Lori Bird of NREL, DOE’s principal research lab for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

PECO WIND’s customer enrollments place it among the top 10 utility green energy programs in the country when compared with NREL’s 2004 ranking of similar green power programs.  A new Top 10 list is expected to be announced sometime during the spring of 2005.

"We’re very pleased customers have responded to an environmental choice for their power supply.  The choice provided for our customers demonstrates Exelon’s commitment to the environment and a competitive power market for consumers," said Denis O’Brien, PECO president.

PECO WIND, the first wind energy product offered by a utility in Pennsylvania, is available to PECO’s residential and business customers in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia and York counties.  PECO WIND is supplied by a new wind power facility in Waymart, Penna., near the Poconos.

Brent Alderfer, CEI president, said, "We believe PECO WIND is the best green energy program in the country, and local consumers have responded enthusiastically to the chance to bring new wind generation to the region."

PECO WIND is offered to residential customers in 100-kilowatt hour (kWh) blocks for an additional monthly fee of about $2.50 per block, added directly to customers' monthly PECO bill. PECO WIND is also available to business customers.  Pennsylvania commercial customers are already supporting more than 100 megawatts of wind generation in the state—more than any other state east of the Mississippi.

For more information about PECO visit www.pecowind.com.