PWP to the Rescue:
Helping Our Customers in Need

 

Photo: Mike Marshall Mae Gautier enjoys her new, energy-efficient washer/dryer  at Monte Vista Grove.

WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMERS, Pasadena Water and Power has a big heart. This means giving Pasadena's 142,000 residents reliable water and power, prompt attention, friendly service - and a little help when they need it most.

Through the Lifeline program, low-income and senior residents can receive a 25 percent discount on PWP electric charges and a credit for the temporary Public Benefit Charge. Lifeline customers also receive an exemption from paying the utility user's tax on their bills - and PWP can line up this exemption for phone, gas and cable bills, too.

To qualify, single customers must have a maximum household income of $12,000, and couples must make no more than $16,000. The limit is raised by $4,000 for each additional person in the household. For example, a couple with two children must have a maximum household income of $24,000. The program is also open to customers who are 62 or older and/or permanently disabled and receiving Social Security supplemental income.

The Utility Assistance program eliminates the temporary Public Benefits Charge from the bills of qualified low-income customers. The income limit is $17,000 for households of one or two, $21,000 for households of three, $25,000 for households of four and $29,000 for households of five.

Customers who qualify for Lifeline or Utility Assistance programs are also eligible to participate in special events. In December 2003, for example, customers in both programs were invited to bring their old halogen torchiere lamps to Villa-Parke Community Center to exchange them for new fluorescent torchiere lamps, which are energy-efficient and safer.

Project APPLE (Assisting Pasadena People with Limited Emergencies) helps customers pay their utility bills during extreme emergencies, such as an injury or job loss. Customers can talk to a counselor at Jackie Robinson Center who helps them fill out the paperwork. Project APPLE generally pays a maximum of $100 on behalf of each qualified customer once every 12 months. All caring PWP customers can contribute to the Project APPLE fund by designating a contribution amount on their PWP bill payment stub. During the last fiscal year, Project APPLE helped more than 430 customers pay a portion of their utility bills.

PWP also participates in the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make sure low-income families receive the heating and cooling they need to stay safe and healthy. Low-income PWP customers can contact the Maravilla Foundation at (323) 721-4162, which administers the HEAP program locally, to receive a maximum of $100 toward their utility bill. More than 350 PWP customers benefited last year.

The Gift of Conservation

RESIDENTS OF PASADENA'S HISTORIC MONTE VISTA GROVE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY were the recipients of dozens of water and energy-saving improvements recently. 

Built in 1924 as a retirement community for Presbyterian ministers, missionaries and their spouses, the facility at 2889 San Pasqual is now a 13-acre complex with 150 independent-living apartment units. A 40-bed skilled nursing facility and a 16-bed assisted living facility are open to older adults of every faith and "The Grove" is a popular spot for civic meetings and private events.

One of these events was PWP's water forum in March, when water-saving tips were shared with customers in the hotel, motel and multifamily housing industries. To show the latest technology in action, PWP and several vendors arranged for the free installation of weather-based controllers, dual-flush toilets, zero consumption urinals, gallon-per-flush and flapperless toilets, pre-rinse spray valves, low-flow flushometers, hose flow restrictors, faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads and high-efficiency clothes washers. 

Now that these water-efficient retrofits are complete, Monte Vista Grove residents will enjoy the new fixtures - and lower water bills - for years to come.

At the same time, PWP's staff was looking for a group of home owners to take advantage of the final allocation of special grant funding from the California Energy Commission. While the grant was in place, Pasadena homeowners were offered hundreds of dollars in rebates for completing energy-efficiency overhauls of their homes through the Performance 4 Plus program. With the remaining dollars of the grant, PWP approached Monte Vista Grove with the offer and 42 residents jumped at the chance.

At no charge, participants received full home energy use evaluations and a prioritized list of suggestions for saving electricity and water. Each homeowner was then eligible for up to $3,000 in rebates. Twenty-six homeowners received new attic insulation, 25 had distribution ducts repaired, many had energy-saving skylights installed and several received new EnergyStar appliances. It proved to be very helpful to these senior customers who have fixed incomes. 

Warm Weather Conservation Tips

SUMMERTIME MEANS HOT WEATHER but it doesn't have to mean high electric bills. These tips will help you save on your utility bill while still staying cool.

• Stay inside at dusk and in the evening when mosquitoes swarm and stay away from wooded areas near rivers, lakes and marshes.
  

• Set your thermostat to 78°F in the summer. Note: The house will not cool down any faster if you crank up the thermostat past the desired temperature. Besides, it is easy to forget to turn it back down.

• Turn the air conditioner off when away all day and during the night. Open the windows at night for natural cooling.
  

• Regularly clean and replace filters to air conditioning units and appliances.
  

• Seal, caulk and weather-strip the roof, walls, floors, windows, doors, chimneys and cracks to keep hot air out and cool air in. Insulate wherever possible, including attics, basement walls, crawl spaces, water heaters and ducts. Insulation can reduce your heating and cooling costs up to 30%. 
  

• Install a whole house fan. A new whole house fan installed between ceiling joists in the house can help defer central air conditioning use, and cut down on electricity bills.