COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 22, 2008 – Ohio families served by AEP will be eligible for immediate help in paying their electric bills, and as many as 20,000 families will receive help in lowering their costs for electric power this winter season through a "Crisis Response Fund" and the distribution of home weatherization kits announced today by AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), and the Ohio Department of Development.

The Fund and the weatherization kits will be supported by AEP Ohio through an initial contribution of $1 million and will be managed by the Ohio Department of Development through 36 community action agencies that serve customers in the company´s Ohio service territory.

"In times like these, AEP Ohio along with other businesses and government must work together to help ease the burden Ohio families face," said Joseph Hamrock, president and chief operating officer – AEP Ohio. "This is a good first step and it will take more to solve the underlying problems to help sustain Ohio´s prosperity. That´s why this Fund is just the beginning of a partnership we are forming with the State of Ohio that will extend through 2009 and beyond."

"The cold winter months are now upon us and with the increasing cost of home heating it is critical that Ohioans are able to adequately and safely heat their homes," said Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "We are pleased to partner with AEP Ohio to offer these funds that allow us to help more Ohio families served by AEP pay their electric bills this season."

The Fund is targeted to households with incomes between 176 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty level, opening eligibility to families of four earning as much as $42,400 a year. Currently, families earning up to 175 percent of the poverty level are eligible for assistance under the state´s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) program and for those with incomes at or below 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines are eligible for the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) program.

In addition to the bill payment assistance effort, AEP Ohio has partnered with the Ohio Department of Development and local community action agencies to provide its eligible low-income customers with home weatherization kits that include compact fluorescent light bulbs, outlet covers to prevent drafts, an LED night light, weather stripping, self-stick door sweep, temperature and water flow measurement gauges, and low-flow shower head, as well as important information on how to conserve energy and lower their energy costs.

AEP Ohio´s contribution is the first step in what will be at least a $5 million AEP Ohio-funded program to provide additional help with paying electric bills, home weatherization assistance, and educational programs that will aid customers in lowering their energy costs over the long term. More details are expected to be announced early in 2009.

AEP Ohio´s Partnership with Ohio plan, a shareholder-funded contribution to economic development and low income assistance, was included as part of the company´s Electric Security Plan (ESP), currently under review by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. AEP Ohio´s ESP filing would keep AEP Ohio´s rates the lowest in the state, while allowing the company to enhance reliability, build alternative energy resources, and bolster funding for state initiatives that encourage business growth, create jobs and train workers, as well as providing direct assistance to customers.

AEP Ohio customers can learn whether they are eligible for the new assistance program, and apply for help in paying their electric bills, by contacting their local community action agency or the Ohio Department of Development´s Home Energy Assistance Program toll-free hotline at 1-800-282-0880, Monday through Friday or visit energyhelp.ohio.gov.

AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio. The company serves all or part of 61 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation´s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation´s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP´s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP´s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP´s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.