About a month after heated customer complaints cooled plans for the energy-saving initiative, Met-Ed said Thursday it has reinstated its EasyGreen program.

The program, which interrupts air conditioner units until the temperature reaches a pre-established level, had been suspended since late June when customers said their homes were too hot.

Designed to decrease air conditioning use on peak temperature days, EasyGreen is expected to reduce electric use and monthly bills, spokesman Scott Surgeoner said.

However, customers had questioned the effectiveness of the program last month, claiming they returned to 80- and 90-degree homes on hot days.

The energy company then suspended the program in June to evaluate its efficiency.

"We did some investigating, did some work and took a couple steps to improve the program," Surgeoner said.

Though the program was reinstated Thursday, Met-Ed hasn't activated it yet and will not activate it through the weekend, Surgeoner said.

Met-Ed found many of the problems in June were triggered by temperatures that were already high in homes, and some of the program's 20,000 enrolled customers had unplugged the in-house temperature sensors they were given upon joining EasyGreen, he said.

"We learned the equipment does work. You just have to leave it alone," he said.

To curb future problems, Met-Ed has taken a handful of steps.

First, customers will be given a day's notice, by email or phone, that the program will be activated. That will give the customers a chance to adjust the temperature in their homes, knowing it will rise by 6 to 9 degrees when the program activates.

To help keep homes cool during summer's hottest days, the program will run for no more than six hours in one day.

And customers will also have two opt-out days, during which their systems won't activate if they notify EasyGreen a day in advance, he said.

Customers who have questions or complaints about the program should call 866-311-8558.