Help Is Available for High Winter Bills

This month’s extremely cold temperatures mean your heating system has been working overtime. As a result, you may notice your electric bill is higher than usual. We have several payment options and tips to help you keep your account current.

Special Payment Arrangements: We offer customized payment arrangements aimed at bringing your account up-to-date over a mutually agreeable period of time.

Budget Billing: You can avoid seasonal peaks in electric bills by dividing your payments evenly over the course of the entire year. You’ll know what to expect in your bill, making budgeting easier.

Extended Payment Date Plan: If your main source of total household income is from a government or other low-income entitlement program, you can request a regular extension of your bill due date so it aligns with the date you get your check.

Energy Assistance Programs: Some federal energy assistance may be available to you through state and local assistance programs.

Many of these arrangements can be made directly over the phone by calling (202) 833-7500 and following the simple instructions or by speaking with a customer service representative.

We have useful tools and technology which can also help you manage your electric use. Our smart provide you with detailed energy use charts and information online through My Account. Our Bill to Date feature allows you to see your current energy use and projected bill so you can know where your bill will be at the end of the month.  You can also see your daily and hourly energy use, so you can identify when you use the most energy and get tips for reducing your energy use.

We care about our customers and want you to know you can always call us for help.

We Can Help with Winter Energy Bills

Winter is just around the corner. A drop in temperature typically means you’ll be turning up your heat which can lead to higher energy bills. We understand that higher energy bills can be a major concern. If you have difficulty paying your heating bills this winter, we’re here to help.

The first thing to do is call Customer Care at 202-833-7500 before your bill becomes unmanageable. We can recommend payment arrangements where appropriate and can discuss alternative payment plans such as our Budget Billing program that can help you avoid seasonal cost spikes and keep monthly bills level.

Our Extended Payment Date Plan is for customers whose main source of income is from government programs. Since assistance does not arrive until the first of each month, qualified customers whose bill due date is before the 5th of the month may be granted an extension of their due date.

Under the Deferred Payment Arrangement Plan customers experiencing a temporary financial hardship may be eligible to make installment payments on their current bill and a portion of any unpaid balance.

Felecia Greer
Customer Advocate

We Can Help with High Winter Bills

With winter weather here, some customers may be experiencing high energy bills. That’s because colder temperatures cause heating systems to work harder and use more energy.

For those customers who have a heat pump, that unit’s resistance heater switches on when temperatures dip below about 32 degrees. When that happens, efficiency declines and costs increase.

At Pepco, we understand that high winter bills can be a concern. If you’re having difficulty making a payment, call us at 202-833-7500 before your bill gets unmanageable.

We can discuss alternative payment plans such as our Budget Billing program that allows you to make a fixed monthly payment and avoid cost spikes. We also can direct you to government assistance programs that offer help to eligible customers based on income guidelines.

And don’t forget to visit pepco.com to sign up for My Account, our online tool that can offer ways to manage energy use.

Felecia Greer
Customer Advocate

Low Income Energy Summit Update

Pepco recently hosted more than 180 social service agency representatives from Delaware and Maryland for its annual Low Income Energy Summit in Dover, Delaware.

The Summit gave service providers valuable information to better assist low- to moderate-income utility customers, many of whom have difficulty paying their energy bills.

U.S. Senator Christopher Coons of Delaware provided opening remarks and welcomed the participants to Dover. Maryland Public Service Commission Chairman Douglas Nazarian, Delaware Public Service Commission Ombudsman Matthew Hartigan and District of Columbia Public Service Commission Member Linda Jordan participated in a very informative regulatory panel.

Closing the day in Dover was Kenneth Parker, Sr. Vice President, Government Affairs & Corporate Citizenship, who told his personal story of growing up in a household that relied heavily on community support and the outreach of social service providers. “I know what you do. I benefited from what you do. You invest in people like me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Ken said.

It is important for us to take the time out to assemble our community and agency partners under one roof to educate them on Pepco programs and services. Summit discussions included several exhibitors and plenary sessions on emergency preparedness, storm response, social media and diversity.

As Customer Advocate, my job is to communicate your concerns and ideas to the Company. If you would like your voice to be heard, please contact me at customeradvocate@pepco.com.

Felecia Greer
Customer Advocate

Progress

I have news to report regarding Pepco’s efforts to communicate with customers when the lights go out.  I recently had the opportunity to listen to the Pepco executives at the Maryland Public Service Commission’s Hearing on the Derecho 2012 storm. I will share with you some of the highlights, but if you’d like to read all the details, you can find the report at www.psc.state.md.us (Case Number 9298).

Pepco officials heard loud and clear how frustrated customers were during the last big storm when people were without power for extended periods of time. In response, Pepco seems to be making progress on improving its communications with customers when the lights go out. The Company, for example, is working on its policies around providing customers with a more precise “Estimated Time of Restoration.”  Here’s the rub – a global ETR is usually when the vast majority of customers are restored.  However, many customers will be restored before the global ETR date.  It’s not especially helpful to hear that the last customer will be restored in five, six or seven days – when for you it could be in one day. Pepco officials said they now plan to tell customers at the beginning of the work day if the power will be back on that day. In my opinion, that is much more helpful information that will at least let customers know what to expect.

Pepco is also making efforts toward communicating more effectively internally so it can deliver all the necessary repair materials needed to complete a job more effectively.  This means that once a crew arrives on the scene, it will be able to tackle any problem, whether it’s downed wires, trees or poles.

On the issue of restoring power to critical care facilities, Pepco officials intend to work with local emergency management agencies to better identify critical care facilities so they can respond more efficiently. And they’ve agreed to provide these EMAs with customer outage information to better ensure public safety.

The Vice President of Pepco’s Call Center has directed that the Call Center scripts be revised and his team  investigate technology to allow customers to decide when they get call backs – almost like a hotel wake-up call.  I like the idea of customers having more control!

Another improvement is that a Storm Center is being created on the Pepco website for use when major storms strike.  Customers can check the Storm Center for information about the storm, its impact on the Pepco electrical system, and expectations regarding power restoration. It would be a one-stop shop for many customers who can access the internet on their battery-powered smart devices during an outage.

While there is much more that Pepco can do to ensure customers have the information they need to plan their lives when they are without power, I believe change and progress are in the air.

As Customer Advocate, my job is to communicate your concerns and ideas to the Company. If you would like your voice to be heard, contact me at customeradvocate@pepco.com.

Felecia Greer
Customer Advocate

We are here for you

Greetings, I am Felecia Greer, your Customer Advocate at Pepco. I was proud to accept this new role in 2011, when the Office of the Customer Advocate was created to help us better serve our customers.

As the Customer Advocate, my top priority is to listen to you and be your “voice” in the Company. My team and I are focused on engaging customers, hearing their concerns and facilitating resolutions for them, particularly when it seems no one will listen. Trust me, we are always listening!  So keep your cards and letters coming and rest assured that they are communicated to the executive leadership at Pepco.

In addition to serving as your advocate at Pepco, I am committed to providing customers with information and education on a wide range of issues affecting our community. If you have questions, or simply want to be educated on energy-related topics such as smart meters, electric choice, conserving electricity, budget billing, My Account, or any other topic, we are a resource available to you or your community group.

For example, we recently met with senior citizens in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County to discuss ways they could reduce their energy use in order to save money. This fall, we are sponsoring Low Income Energy Summits to bring together various community agencies, non-profit organizations and regulatory agencies to discuss issues affecting low- and limited- income customers in our communities and identify ways to help them pay their bills.

I will be posting regular updates of my team’s progress in assisting customers to this blog, and will also write about new and exciting things happening at Pepco. Please continue to check back for more information, or feel free to contact me or a member of my team:

Felecia Greer, Customer Advocate
Clay Anderson, Customer & Community Relations Manager
Rachelle Nigro, Customer & Community Relations Manager

E-mail:
customeradvocate@pepco.com

Mailing Address:
Office of the Customer Advocate
Pepco
701 9^th Street NW
Washington, DC 20068-0001

Website:
http://www.pepco.com/contact/customeradvocate/