Helping Customers in Need

With California is in the midst of its worst economic downturn in nearly 70 years, PG&E continues to help customers in need.

Many PG&E customers have been affected by the distressed economy and have struggled to remain current with their bills, including their energy bills. We are working to assist our customers in a variety of ways, including offering energy efficiency and demand response programs, innovative payment plans and home weatherization programs.

Many of these programs, including California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE), Energy Partners and the Winter Gas Savings Program, are funded by the same "public purpose program" charge that funds energy efficiency programs for PG&E’s customers. The public purpose program public goods charge is embedded in PG&E’s rates.

At the onset of the financial crisis, we increased efforts to enroll eligible customers in the long-standing CARE program, which provides a monthly discount on energy bills for income-qualified households. We used new tools to reach out to the newly unemployed population via phone enrollments, door-to-door canvassing and Facebook.

Last year, we also held CARE enrollment events at foreclosure clinics, employment offices and job fairs. Additionally, we worked with employers to insert CARE applications into their layoff packets. In 2009, more than 466,000 additional customers enrolled in the CARE program, or nearly 86 percent of eligible participants. PG&E is striving to reach the CPUC's stretch target of 90 percent by the end of 2011.

Our Energy Partners program offered income-qualified customers free energy education, weatherization measures and energy-efficient appliances to reduce gas and electric usage. Through the program, certified contractors install attic insulation, replace doors, provide weather stripping and make other minor home repairs, concluding with a home safety inspection. In 2009, we treated more than 83,000 homes. We plan to grow the program significantly in the coming years.

We also offered a Winter Gas Savings Program for the third fourth year, rewarding customers who reduced natural gas consumption during the winter with a credit on their spring gas bills. In 2009, more than 2.3 million customers received credits totaling $59 million.

PG&E also contributed $1.35 million in charitable funding to the REACH program, a one-time energy assistance program sponsored by PG&E and administered by The Salvation Army. The program provides assistance of up to $200 to customers experiencing a crisis that prevents them from paying their gas or electric bill.

In 2009, PG&E developed a program with The Salvation Army to help customers in Alameda County who are recipients of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to leverage REACH funds with federal stimulus funds. By doing so, these customers can receive up to $1,500 in one-time bill-paying assistance beginning in 2010. If this pilot program is successful, PG&E will work with interested counties throughout our service area to expand the offer to other customers who are TANF recipients.

For the second year, PG&E also matched employee donations, up to $100, to any of 41 food banks in our service area. This resulted in a total contribution of more than $40,000 during the Spring of 2010.

We also continued to serve as a strong advocate for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LI-HEAP), which provides federal funding to help underserved customers with their energy bills. As a member of the National Fuel Fund Network's Board of Directors, we participated in key initiatives such as LI-HEAP Action Day on Capitol Hill last year with members of Congress to emphasize the importance of this funding. Congress approved an unprecedented $5.1 billion for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, a significant increase that will send up to $150 million more to California.