PG&E gives more details on bill credits
| Wednesday, Oct 21 2009 02:27 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Oct 21 2009 02:31 PM
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Wednesday offered new details on the bill credits it is giving consumers on their November or December bills due to lower than expected energy prices.
PG&E will refund more than $400 million to about 3 million electric customers, as approved by the California Public Utilities Commission.
The size of the refund will depend on a customer's usage and location. For example, a typical residential customer in Bakersfield using 850 kilowatt hours per month will receive a credit of about $62, according to a PG&E news release. A residential customer in Bakersfield using 1,500 kilowatt hours per month will receive a credit of about $231.
Residential customers with relatively low usage (defined as less than 131 percent of baseline usage for their area) and CARE customers, were protected from the rate impact of the 2009 energy-cost forecast and therefore will not receive a credit, the PG&E statement said.
In addition to the one-time bill credit, PG&E offers several programs to help customers manage energy costs, according to the news release. They include:
* Rebates and tax credits for investing in energy efficient appliances and other energy saving technologies, such as ENERGY STAR-qualified room air conditioners and refrigerators, wall insulation and compact fluorescent lamps;
* SmartEnergy Analyzer, an online analysis tool for evaluating your energy use, which provides advice for translating customer action into savings;
* Winter Gas Savings Program will give qualifying residential and business customers a credit of up to 20 percent on their natural gas bill for reducing natural gas usage during January and February;
* PeakChoice provides financial incentives to businesses for reducing their energy usage;
* Energy Partners provides income-qualified customers free energy education, weatherization measures and energy-efficient appliances to reduce gas and electric usage;
* CARE (California Alternate Rates for Energy) provides a monthly discount on energy bills for income-qualified households and housing facilities;
* FERA (Family Electric Rate Assistance) provides a monthly discount on electric bills for income-qualified households of three or more persons;
* REACH (Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help) provides emergency energy assistance to low-income families who are in jeopardy of losing their electricity services; and
* LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance) provides financial grants to people who need help paying utility bills.
For more information, go to www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/.
