Press Release

PUC’s #SaveInPA Consumer Energy Shopping Campaign Honored for Creative and Innovative Public Outreach

Published on 2/12/2024

Filed under: Electric Gas

#SaveInPA Campaign Receives Multiple 2023 Awards from State, National and International Communications Professionals

HARRISBURG – The #SaveInPA campaign – a public awareness campaign created by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to help educate consumers about their ability to save on monthly energy bills – has been recognized by multiple state and international communications organizations for innovative and creative efforts.

The PUC has been honored with multiple 2023 awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), from a field of entries submitted by organizations and communications professionals across Pennsylvania, along with a 2023 MARCOM Award, which was selected from a field of international entries.

PUC #SaveInPA Campaign

#SaveInPA was launched in early 2023 in response to a series of substantial changes in the consumer energy market, especially for residential electric customers in Pennsylvania. The goal was to provide consumers with information and tools to help them better manage their utility bills and to take advantage of the state’s competitive energy market to lower those bills.  The campaign initially focused on consumer savings by shopping for competitive electric suppliers but has grown to include savings from natural gas shopping.

“Communicating effectively with our citizens is a key component of the Commission’s public service mission,” noted PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank. “#SaveInPA offered clear and actionable information about how consumers across Pennsylvania could use the competitive energy market to save on their monthly electric and natural gas bills and we are honored by the recognition our team has received.”

2023 Keystone Awards

The #SaveInPA campaign received multiple awards from the PRSA’s Central Pennsylvania Chapter – including two top level 2023 Keystone Awards for media relations and news releases/public service announcements, along with a 2023 Silver Keystone Award for overall public relations campaign.

In the judging evaluations for the Keystone Awards, the PUC’s efforts were recognized for “masterfully identifying problems, careful analysis and research, and amazing results.” The PUC #SaveInPA campaign was honored alongside communications and public relations work from numerous other major Pennsylvania organizations, including Geisinger, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, The Giant Company, the M.S. Hershey Foundation and WellSpan Health.

PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community with a mission to “make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.” The Central PA PRSA chapter was founded in 1959 and is one of the oldest chapters in the country, representing a diverse group of professionals in corporate, government, nonprofit, education, health care and other communication sectors.

2023 MarCom Platinum Award

The PUC’s #SaveInPA campaign is a 2023 MarCom Gold Award winner for strategic communications and public relations campaigns, selected from a field of more than 6,500 worldwide entries.

The PUC’s efforts were recognized alongside the work of numerous U.S. and global organizations, including the AARP, Lowe’s, Mastercard, Temple University Health System and the University of Pittsburgh.

The MARCOM awards are judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talents exceed a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. The gold awards are presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry.

The MarCom award is one of the oldest and most prestigious creative competitions in the world and is sponsored and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), an international organization for creative professionals.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov