Atmos Energy's 'E-Customers' Surpass 15 Percent for the First Time.

DALLAS -- Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) announced today that it now has more electronic customers, or "e-customers," than ever before -- with 15 percent, or approximately 480,000 customers, signing up for online accounts.

"During the past year, the number of people signing up for online accounts has grown approximately 37 percent across the 12-state Atmos Energy system, which is fantastic," said Ron Acker, Atmos Energy's Director of IT Operations. "We believe part of the growth is due to people becoming more comfortable using online services, and some of the growth is due to our new, easier to navigate Web site."

While providing more efficiency for Atmos Energy, e-customers have more advantages online. E-customers can:

--manage multiple accounts,

--pay bills online,

--view bills online,

--see payment history,

--see billing history,

--transfer service,

--stop service and

--chart consumption history.

From 2004 to 2005, the total number of Atmos Energy e-customers enrolled for online services soared 186 percent mainly because of the acquisition of the Mid-Tex Division, which almost doubled the size of the company. From 2005 to 2006, Atmos Energy online customer registrations increased 37 percent.

More than 172 million people, or 77 percent of the American adult population, are now online, according to a recent Harris Poll. Last year, the number of adults online grew by four percent.

The most popular feature for Atmos Energy e-customers is the online payment option. E-customers have used the online payment system nearly one-million times to pay for natural gas services over the past four years.

A growing number of Atmos Energy e-customers have turned the billing process into a monthly, effortless non-event by receiving their bill online and then utilizing automatic bank drafts to pay the bill. Customers can sign up for online services at www.atmosenergy.com.

About Atmos Energy

Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is the country's largest natural gas-only distributor, serving about 3.2 million gas utility customers. Atmos Energy's utility operations serve more than 1,500 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West. Atmos Energy's nonutility operations, organized under Atmos Energy Holdings, Inc., operate in 22 states. They provide natural gas marketing and procurement services to industrial, commercial and municipal customers and manage company-owned natural gas storage and pipeline assets, including one of the largest intrastate natural gas pipelines in Texas. Atmos Energy is a Fortune 500 company. For more information, visit www.atmosenergy.com.