South Jersey Energy

NEWS RELEASE
1 South Jersey Plaza, Folsom, New Jersey 08037
Tel. (609) 561-9000 Fax (609) 561-8225 TDD ONLY 1-800-547-9085

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

SOUTH JERSEY ENERGY: JOANNE BRIGANDI 609-561-9000 x4240
SHORE MEMORIAL: JULIE MCWILLIAMS 609-653-3527
August 24,2000

Shore Memorial Hospital to Save $1.6 Million Using South Jersey Energy

       SOMERS POINT, N.J. -- Top officials from South Jersey Energy and Shore Memorial Hospital met with Conectiv Power Delivery recently as the hospital received an energy rebate check of $113,000 from Conectiv's Smart Start Building Program. This rebate is possible through innovative energy solutions provided to Shore Memorial by Folsom, N.J.-based South Jersey Energy. The company replaced the hospital's inefficient lighting system with new, highly energy efficient fixtures, bulbs and ballasts.

       "We were able to help Shore Memorial save $160,000 per year in energy costs," said South Jersey Energy President Edward J. Graham. "This hospital is progressive in its approach to controlling operating costs while providing the best possible health care. The combination of the rebate and savings from this project allows the hospital to recover the cost in less than two years. Over the next 10 years, this reduces the hospital's energy costs by $1.6 million. Plus, saves it an additional $57,000 in maintenance expense. We are very proud to be a part of this because Shore Memorial Hospital serves the region's needs so well."

       "We are very pleased with the success of this project," said Richard A. Pitman, president of Shore Memorial Hospital. "We are committed to maintaining a state-of-the-art facility. South Jersey Energy and Conectiv are helping us to do just that. This helps us to reduce the cost of health service delivery for the foreseeable future. This rebate, coupled with reduced energy cost, is an excellent example of the good things that can happen when institutions collaborate for the benefit of the community."

       Jim Cinelli Program Marketing Manager for Conectiv Power Delivery added, "We are committed to actively helping our customers conserve energy and choose energy-efficient products. We are proud to coordinate together with South Jersey Energy to deliver these energy saving solutions to our joint customers like Shore Memorial Hospital."

       South Jersey Energy, a subsidiary of South Jersey Industries (NYSE: SJI), is a licensed, deregulated natural gas and electricity supplier for residential, commercial and industrial customers in New Jersey. The company provides lighting retrofits, HVAC and energy conservation consultation services for commercial customers; real-time environmental air quality monitoring systems used during environmental site cleanups; and manages wholesale natural gas portfolios for large-volume end-users. Visit http://www.southjerseyenergy.com for more information or call 1-800-756-3749.

       Shore Memorial is a full-service acute care hospital with 33 medical and surgical specialties, serving residents and visitors in communities along the southern New Jersey shore. As the single largest hospital in Atlantic and Cape May counties, Shore Memorial provides care to more than 80,000 inpatients and outpatients annually, and more than 83 percent of the 340 physicians on its medical staff are board-certified. Shore Memorial affiliated with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1998 for specific clinical programs and, in 1999, became part of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Inpatient Network, for around-the-clock in-hospital pediatric care.

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