New Jersey Resources Releases 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report; Highlights Its Commitment to Social Responsibility

WALL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

New Jersey Resources NJR announced the release of its 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR), which highlights the company's long-term initiatives and continued innovation that drives its commitment to environmental stewardship, the safety of its customers and employees, a diverse and inclusive workplace and responsible corporate practices.

"Over the past year, we continued to expand our commitment to sustainability and corporate citizenship. We believe sustainability and business success are inseparably linked to achieving service excellence for our customers, stakeholders and the communities we serve," said Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO of New Jersey Resources.

Through Conserve to Preserve® (CTP), the umbrella for its commitment to environmental stewardship, NJR promotes smart energy choices to help customers better manage their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint by investing in programs that actively promote cost-effective and prudent approaches to energy-efficiency. The company's Conservation Incentive Program allows it to actively encourage conservation and efficiency by means of CTP. As a result, since 2006, NJR has helped customers collectively reduce their natural gas usage by more than 315 million therms — saving approximately $322 million and preventing the release of 3.7 billion pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, or the equivalent of removing more than 351,000 cars from New Jersey's roadways each year.*

"Our performance is driven by the strong dedication of our nearly 1,000 employees, with the support of our board of directors, to meeting our corporate sustainability goals and Commitment to Stakeholders, every day. We are proud of what we have accomplished on the path to creating a long-lasting, positive impact for future generations," Downes stated.

Highlights of NJR's key sustainability efforts and accomplishments in 2014, which are detailed further in the Corporate Sustainability Report, include:

• Energy savings for customers. The SAVEGREEN Project® — the energy-efficiency program of NJR's principal subsidiary, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) — provides customers with rebates and incentives to make energy-efficiency upgrades more affordable. In 2014, these rebates and incentives helped 4,176 customers offset the costs of converting to natural gas heat. In addition, customers who took advantage of SAVEGREEN's rebate and upgraded to a high-efficiency furnace, saved an average of 147 therms annually, avoiding the release of 1,700 pounds of CO2 (per furnace) into the atmosphere.*
• Clean energy investments. NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV), NJR's renewable energy subsidiary, has built a solar and wind portfolio of nearly 130 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity since 2010. NJRCEV's net-metered and grid-connected commercial solar projects produce approximately 93,000 megawatt hours of energy annually, or the equivalent of producing enough energy to power 7,700 New Jersey homes each year. These projects include the ground-mounted, grid-connected systems in West Pemberton, Burlington, N.J. and the Rock Solid facility located in Howell, N.J. Together, these two solar systems produce 19.1 MWs of energy, with nearly 37 million pounds of annual carbon reduction or the equivalent of removing 3,500 passenger vehicles from the road each year.* The Carroll Area Wind Farm, located in Carroll County, Iowa, and operational since January 2015, and the Two Dot Wind Farm, located in Two Dot, Montana, and operational since June 2014, provide total wind capacity of 30 MWs. The most recent project, the Alexander Wind Farm in Rush County, Kansas, is expected to become operational in fall 2015, bringing total wind capacity to nearly 78MWs.
• System improvements. NJNG invested $98 million in system improvements and expects to dedicate an additional $336 million over the next three years to support pipeline and system upgrades. As part of its Safety Acceleration and Facility Enhancement program, NJNG will replace 276 miles of cast iron steel and unprotected steel mains and associated lines in its service systems. When complete, NJNG will have removed all cast iron from its system. Additionally, in July 2014, NJNG received approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities for its New Jersey Reinvestment in System Enhancement (NJ RISE) program, designed to improve the reliability and resiliency of its distribution transmission. These improvements are expected to help mitigate the number and duration of future outages, improve reliability, help respond to service disruptions and enhance the resiliency of its system in future weather events.
• Field Safety. The company expanded its commitment to safety by enhancing the presence of safety representatives in the field with employees to provide a safer work environment. This ensures procedures are adhered to and reinforces company policies and procedures such as proper use of safety equipment. Safety observations are key to proactively prevent incidents and assure current trainings and policies are effective for the wellbeing of employees.
• Community involvement. NJR provided financial and in-kind support, including more than 5,000 employee volunteer hours, to over 2,000 local charities and nonprofit organizations. Moreover, NJNG's proactive outreach efforts helped connect more than 10,000 customers who were experiencing financial hardship with energy assistance and home energy improvement programs to help them manage their energy bills.

* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas emissions calculator

To view New Jersey Resources' 2015 Corporate Sustainability Report, visit www.njresources.com.

About New Jersey Resources

New Jersey Resources NJR is a Fortune 1000 company that provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution and asset management. With annual revenues in excess of $3 billion, NJR is comprised of five primary businesses:

• New Jersey Natural Gas is NJR's principal subsidiary that operates and maintains over 7,000 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jersey's Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris and Middlesex counties.
• NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.
• NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar and onshore wind projects with a total capacity of over 130 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.
• NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its equity ownership in a natural gas storage facility and a transportation pipeline, both of which are Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC-regulated investments.
• NJR Home Services provides heating, central air conditioning, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes and businesses throughout New Jersey and serves approximately 117,000 service contract customers.

NJR and its more than 950 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve^® and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project^® and The Sunlight Advantage^®.

For more information about NJR:

Visit www.njresources.com.
Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas.
"Like" us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas.
Download our free NJR investor relations app for iPad, iPhone and Android.

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