Consumer issues

Company files plan to increase energy-efficiency by 50 percent in 10 years

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 2, 2009) -- Progress Energy Florida's customers have saved $1 billion since 1981 by participating in energy-efficiency programs, and the company is proposing a plan that would save customers even more money.

The company filed a 10-year plan with the Florida Public Service Commission Monday to increase the company's existing energy-efficiency goal of 412 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) by nearly 50 percent throughout the course of the plan. The plan also outlines Progress Energy Florida's forward-thinking approach to:

* Encouraging customer adoption of solar power and other promising alternative and renewable energy technologies;    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy Carolinas has filed a request with the North Carolina Utilities Commission to increase its North Carolina customer rates by approximately 12.6 percent.

If approved, the general rate changes are expected to be implemented no earlier than Jan. 1, 2010.

“Customers count on us to provide power that is affordable, reliable and clean. This rate increase helps ensure that we deliver on that commitment today and in the future,” said Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy Carolinas. “We recognize that this is a challenging time to ask customers to pay more for electricity, so we didn’t make this decision lightly.”    » read more »

May marks the seventh consecutive month of market share growth

OAKVILLE, Ontario, June 2, 2009 – Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited outpaced the industry in May marking the company's seventh consecutive month of market share growth. Results were driven by products across the lineup including Ford Focus, Ford Escape, Lincoln MKX and Ford F-150.

"Amid tough industry conditions, we continue to increase our market share," said David Mondragon, president and CEO, Ford of Canada. "These results are driven mostly by new customers coming in to drive our new products. In fact, nearly 50 per cent of sales come from new models, which is up 15 per cent from last year."    » read more »

Washington, D.C., June 1, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the Fair Fund distribution of more than $78 million to more than 590,000 investors who were affected by undisclosed market timing in certain AIM mutual funds.

The Fair Fund distribution stems from a prior SEC enforcement action against AIM Advisors, Inc., which advised the funds, and AIM Distributors, Inc. (ADI), which distributed the funds. In addition, this distribution includes money from two other Fair Funds, which are related to separate unlawful market timing enforcement actions that affected AIM investors.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke Energy Carolinas has partnered with Lowe's® to provide compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs at a 40 percent discount, the first such customer-oriented program the company has offered in the Carolinas.

"By initiating this collaboration, we hope to help our North Carolina and South Carolina customers save money, reduce their energy consumption and have a positive impact on the environment," said Brett Carter, president, Duke Energy Carolinas.    » read more »

TAIPEI, Taiwan - June 02, 2009 - Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) today introduced the N-Stream™ Wireless LAN WCN1320™ chip, the industry's first dual-band 802.11n standards-based wireless local-area networking (WLAN ) solution with 4x4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology.

Offering performance of 600 Mbps, the new chip is designed to enable users to distribute multiple simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data throughout the home, without the hassle and cost of installing cables or the interference and range problems of previous wireless technologies.

Qualcomm's N-Stream WLAN solution is being demonstrated this week at Computex Taipei and at Connections 2009 in Santa Clara.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- CARBONDALE, IL – Consumers will receive vouchers from the federal government to help purchase new, more fuel-efficient cars and older cars that damage the environment will be taken off the roads if legislation to establish the “Cash for Clunkers” program is approved by Congress, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said today. While discussing this effort to stimulate new car sales, Durbin promoted the tax credits made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for first-time home buyers.    » read more »

First U.S. Manufactured ENERGY STAR® Qualified Water Heater Will Be Made in Kentucky Creating 400 New “Green Collar” Jobs

June 1, 2009 -- LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- GE’s (NYSE:GE) Consumer & Industrial division announced today that it will manufacture highly energy efficient hybrid electric water heaters in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Company’s Appliance Park facility - creating about 400 jobs.

The new hybrid patented technology will make GE the first manufacturer to introduce a water heater that will meet the new 2009 Department of Energy ENERGY STAR standards for heat pump hot water heaters, putting GE well ahead of the competition.    » read more »

REDMOND, Wash. — May 28, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Bing, a new Decision Engine and consumer brand, providing customers with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions. Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business.    » read more »

FORT WORTH, Texas -- FORT WORTH, Texas, May 28 -- Summer is fast approaching, so American Airlines and American Eagle, its regional affiliate, are reminding customers about the box and bag embargo on flights to certain destinations from June 6 through Aug. 25, 2009.

"American's intent is to provide the best customer service possible and to consider the needs of all passengers," said Peter Dolara, American's Senior Vice President - Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America. "There are limitations on the amount of baggage that can be carried, both in the cabin and cargo areas, based on the size of aircraft."    » read more »

Even bigger savings possible for vending energy guzzlers; New standards one of the first of at least two dozen expected from Obama administration

May 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.—Proposed new national energy efficiency standards for beverage vending machines (a.k.a., soda or pop machines) will help make America more energy efficient, according to a coalition of energy efficiency, environmental, and consumer groups.

The proposed new standards, released today by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), would cut the average energy use of the most common new cold beverage vending machines by about 42%. However, even larger savings could have been achieved if DOE had required energy-saving smart controls.    » read more »

Renewable Fuels Changes to EIA's Petroleum Surveys

May 28, 2009 -- EIA has recently implemented expanded data collection efforts to better capture ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable liquid fuel volumes, marking an important milestone in a multi-year effort to address the growing role of renewable fuels. Congress enacted a mandate for the increased use of renewable motor fuels in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That same law also authorized EIA to collect better data on renewable fuels.

The need for better renewable fuels data became even more important when the mandate for renewable fuel use was significantly expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which sets a target of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel use by 2022.    » read more »

Survey Shows Over a Million Consumers are Being Swindled

May 27, 2009 -- Washington DC – Today, the Consumer Federation of America is launching a national campaign to combat fake check scams. Millions of consumers are lured into accepting genuine-looking checks and money orders and wiring money to crooks in return. According to the results of a CFA survey, nearly one third of adults have been approached with fake check scams and at least 1.3 million have become actual victims.    » read more »

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 27 -- On June 1, American Airlines will go cashless onboard flights within the continental United States, as well as flights to and from Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada. Effective Monday, for inflight purchases such as headsets, fresh meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages, American will accept major credit or debit cards only.

"We believe that, by moving to a cashless cabin, the transaction process is more convenient for both our customers and flight attendants," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President - Onboard Service.    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- PROVIDENCE, RI – In an effort to help Americans better protect themselves from the sun’s harmful rays, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is championing legislation requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen labeling and testing standards for sunscreen products.    » read more »