SAN DIEGO, Oct. 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- With projections of record high winter heating bills locally as well as across the country, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced it has quadrupled its funding of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program to help more families and individuals facing hardships receive bill-payment assistance.
Through funding from its investors, SDG&E will contribute $4 for every $1 a customer or employee donates to the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program -- up to $200,000. These funds will be available this winter. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor program provides for a one-time credit of up to $200 on a customer's bill. The program is open to qualified customers and, for more than 20 years, has helped thousands of San Diegans facing financial hardship pay their energy bills through the disbursement of nearly $1 million.
Utilities nationwide are seeing record natural gas costs due to a number of market factors including increased demand and tighter supplies.
SDG&E next week will be asking for expedited approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of new and streamlined efforts to enable more customers to participate in assistance programs.
"We recognize the hardship that high winter gas costs will cause for our customers who need help the most, and are working hard to find solutions that lessen the hardship," said Anne S. Smith, senior vice president of customer services for SDG&E. "We urge the Commission to grant the requested approvals so that we can implement program changes beginning Nov. 1."
SDG&E is requesting CPUC approval to take the following actions for the winter months (November through April) in order to make it easier for customers to take advantage of special assistance programs:
-- Suspension of some income documentation requirements for
low-income energy-efficiency program services (LIEE). Currently,
customers must provide specified documentation to support their
income eligibility before receiving LIEE program services.
-- Installation of additional highly energy-efficient measures for
LIEE customers. For this winter, SDG&E proposes to increase the
installation of high-efficiency central forced-air furnaces and
refrigerators to provide energy savings for low-income customers.
-- Suspension of certain program requirements for CARE (California
Alternate Rates for Energy), which provides a 20-percent discount
on the natural gas and electric rate. SDG&E proposes to suspend
during the winter months requests for customers to provide income
documentation or recertify their income eligibility, thereby
decreasing the likelihood that a qualified customer would be
dropped from CARE during a time when they need the program the
most.
-- Enrollment of qualified customers in CARE by phone. A targeted
effort will be made to telephone customers who do not respond to
mailings in areas estimated to have the highest percentages of
eligible customers.
-- Revision of CARE income guidelines for seniors and disabled
customers to match LIEE guidelines, which allows for total income
to be up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. SDG&E
estimates that about 22,000 new customers would be eligible for
CARE under the revised guidelines.
SDG&E is expanding its assistance to low-income customers through the following actions:
-- Flexible credit and collections policies for low-income and
Medical Baseline customers during the winter in order to avoid
service interruptions. SDG&E plans to contact customers with
difficulties paying their bills so that payment arrangements can
be made and other available assistance can be applied. Service
will not be terminated if certain minimum payments are made.
Deposits for these customers will be suspended.
-- Extended community outreach through the use of community agencies,
increased participation in community events and direct mail to
low-income customers.
-- A special effort to ensure that eligible reservists, active
military and National Guard members are aware of and enrolled in
assistance programs, particularly when they are deployed on
active duty.
SDG&E also will infuse new funds into its 2005 energy-efficiency rebate programs. This successful program helps reduce natural gas use and utility bills by encouraging consumers to purchase energy-efficient appliances, such as furnaces and water heaters.
Customers are encouraged to visit SDG&E's Web site, at www.sdge.com for information on energy-efficiency rebates, conservation tips and customer assistance program eligibility and application information.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. To learn more, go to www.sdge.com.