FPL, Prepared for Cold Weather, Urges Customers to Use Energy Safely and Wisely.

Energy Editors/Business Editors

JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2003

Florida Power & Light Company today urged customers to use electricity wisely and safely during the cold weather forecast for Friday and Saturday morning. As Florida residents gear up to stay warm in the coldest weather affecting the area since December of 1989, FPL is prepared with adequate generating power to supply the needs of customers, barring unexpected problems with power plant operations.

During the last 10 years, FPL has added more than 4,000 megawatts (MW) of generation to meet the growing needs of our customers and maintain a 20 percent reserve margin. We have repowered or converted older less reliable plants and built new, more reliable state-of-the-art gas-fired plants. FPL has enhanced the performance and reliability of its nuclear plants and applied lessons learned from previous cold weather incidents to better weatherize all of its plants. These improvements have helped FPL become better able to respond to cold weather emergencies. On Friday morning and through the weekend, FPL will have additional crews on standby to respond to any weather-related outages, and power plants will be fully staffed.

In addition to increasing capacity, FPL has developed conservation and energy management programs such as the "On Call" program which saves up to 1,500 MW, reducing the demand on the system while meeting the electricity needs of our customers during peak use. The "On Call" program is a pre-arranged volunteer program, in which participants select appliances to be turned off for 15-minute intervals and in turn receive a monthly credit on their bill. While FPL does not expect to implement the "On Call" program during this cold period, it is an option the company could take to manage power usage during peak periods--typically during very cold mornings.

FPL is part of a statewide electricity system designed to ensure adequate power for all residents and businesses within the state. Operations of other utilities in the state can have an effect on FPL customers. The Florida Reliability Coordinating Council works with the four major Florida utilities (FPL, Progress Energy, Tampa Electric Company, and Gulf Power) to provide reliable power to Florida residents and says there should be reliable power on Friday and through the weekend. If there are unanticipated problems statewide, it is possible that FPL customers could be inconvenienced if FPL is required to use pre-arranged energy management programs. If there is an unanticipated problem with FPL operations, the company would first initiate "On Call" and then if necessary may rotate delivery of power to groups of customers. FPL does not believe this procedure will be necessary. If implemented, customers would experience brief 20-minute interruptions of power.

Cold weather has the potential to significantly increase our customer usage of electricity and result in higher bills. FPL suggests the following tips to conserve energy and help manage costs associated with cold weather:

-- When using a central air conditioner to heat a home or business, lower the thermostat setting to 64 degrees or below if health permits, and on "auto" rather than "on." Keep thermostat readings constant and make sure the air filter is clean to make your unit run more efficiently.

-- Test your heaters ahead of time to make sure they are functioning properly.

-- Keep your water heater set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off hot water heaters at the circuit breaker if you plan on leaving for three or more days.

-- Reduce use of all non-essential electric appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes dryers.

-- Turn off all non-essential lighting and electric appliances, such as pool pumps and sprinkler systems.

The State Department of Community Affairs issued these safety precautions:

-- Stay indoors and use safe heating sources.

-- Make sure your smoke alarms are in working condition.

-- Do not use charcoal or other fuel-burning devices indoors,

such as grills and generators that produce carbon monoxide.

For additional information regarding FPL's "On Call" program or other conservation program, please call 1-800-DIALFPL or visit us on line at http://www.FPL.com.

Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .