LOS ANGELES, June 2, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Southern California Gas Co. (The Gas Company) reached a milestone recently, enrolling its one-millionth customer in the state-sponsored California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, which offers a 20 percent monthly discount on natural gas bills for income-qualified households.
For more than 15 years, The Gas Company has offered programs that benefit customers and the community by assisting income-qualified households with discounted rates. Last year, The Gas Company CARE customers saved, on average, $66.50 annually with the discounted rate. New enrollment guidelines went into effect June 1, 2004 and extend the benefits of the CARE program to more eligible customers.
"We have an ongoing commitment to making sure that every eligible customer is enrolled in CARE and benefits from the 20-percent savings on their natural gas bills," said Michelle Mueller, vice president customer services for The Gas Company. "We have partnered with community groups through out our service region to make sure customers who qualify, regardless of where they live, are aware of the CARE program and are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible."
Today, 20 million working Americans and family members are living below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. An additional 40 million are managing to stay above the poverty line but have serious trouble making ends meet.
Every year, the California Public Utilities Commission adjusts the maximum qualifying income levels to reflect changes in the federal poverty guidelines. The new levels are higher than the previous guidelines set in June 2003. The new income guidelines mean that more customers can now qualify for the CARE program.
The 1 million Gas Company customers enrolled in CARE represents 74 percent of the utility's eligible customers. An additional 350,000 are eligible but not enrolled.
Over the last five years, thousands of additional income-qualified customers have benefited from the CARE program. The number of participants has nearly doubled since 1999.
Year Number of annual CARE participants
2004 1,000,000(a)
2003 957,602
2002 790,592
2001 655,446
2000 549,158
1999 519,511
(a) As of May 2004
As of June 1, the new CARE income guidelines based on pre-tax annual income are as follows:
Household Size Maximum Annual Income
1 to 2 $23,400
3 $27,500
4 $33,100
5 $38,700
6 $44,300
Each additional person Add $5,600 per person
Applying for the CARE Program
To apply, customers can call The Gas Company's toll-free assistance lines: For English (800) 427-2200, for Spanish language assistance, (800) 342-4545, for Mandarin language assistance, (800)-427-1429, for Korean language assistance (800) 427-0471 and for Vietnamese language assistance, (800) 427-0478. To learn more about CARE and to download an application, customers can visit The Gas Company's Web site at www.socalgas.com/residential/assistance/care.
Other Customer-Assistance Programs
The Gas Company offers a wide variety of residential programs offering bill-payment assistance, appliance and home improvement rebates, and energy audits to help customers save money and energy.
Additional information on these programs is available from The Gas Company's Web site, www.socalgas.com.
The Gas Company is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 19.2 million consumers through 5.4 million meters. The company's service territory encompasses 23,000 square miles in most of central and Southern California. The Gas Company strives to provide exceptional customer service to enhance the quality of life in the community. The Gas Company is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.