LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- With projections of record high winter heating bills locally as well as across the country, Southern California Gas Company (The Gas Company) today announced it has quadrupled its funding of the Gas Assistance Fund to help more families and individuals facing hardships receive bill-payment assistance.
Through funding from its investors, The Gas Company will contribute $4 for every $1 a customer or employee donates to the Gas Assistance Fund -- up to $800,000. These funds will be available beginning in November through participating United Way of Greater Los Angeles agencies. The Gas Assistance Fund provides for a one-time credit of up to $150 on a customer's winter bill. The program is open to qualified customers and, for more than two decades, has helped thousands of Southern California families in need pay their energy bills through the disbursement of more than $10 million.
Utilities nationwide are seeing record natural gas costs due to a number of market factors including increased demand and tighter supplies.
The Gas Company 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 The Gas Company. "We urge the Commission to grant the requested approvals so that we can implement program changes beginning Nov. 1."
The Gas Company 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, The Gas Company proposes to
increase the installation of high-efficiency central forced-air
furnaces 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 to income-eligible customers on the natural gas rate.
The Gas Company 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. The Gas Company estimates that about 140,000 new
customers would be eligible for CARE under the revised
guidelines.
The Gas Company 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. The Gas Company 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.
The Gas Company 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 can visit The Gas Company's Web site, at www.socalgas.com for information on energy-efficiency rebates, conservation tips and customer assistance program eligibility and application information.
The Gas Company is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 19.5 million consumers through 5.5 million meters. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 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. To learn more, go to www.socalgas.com.