“Powering People” Initiatives Will Inform, Empower and Assist
Customers
ComEd today announced “Powering People” – a series of initiatives in a
broader assistance effort to help protect customers against fraud, offer
more transparency around competitive energy choices and provide
assistance to the most vulnerable customers.
“Everyone – regardless of their background or status – should enjoy
reliable, affordable and secure energy,” said Joe Dominguez, CEO of
ComEd. “We are proud to launch Powering People because customers should
never feel vulnerable when it comes to their energy bills. We are eager
to empower customers with the information and tools they need to power
their lives.”
Powering People’s three pillars will:
-
Inform: Help inform customers on how to spot scammers and other
fraud attempts.
-
Empower: Provide customers with increased transparency on their
energy bills, including Price to Compare.
-
Assist: Establish additional financial assistance programs for
ComEd’s most vulnerable customers.
As part of proposed legislation, ComEd is also poised to contribute an
additional $100 million to its customer assistance programs over a
10-year period should the legislation pass.
Inform
ComEd is launching a public awareness campaign to help protect customers
from scammers. This initiative will make customers aware of how ComEd
does and does not contact customers and give customers tips on what type
of behaviors should raise red flags. ComEd will work with community
partners to share data on the types of reported scams and inform
customers how they can report any kind of fraud.
Empower
ComEd filed a petition with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today
asking the organization to enable ComEd to provide greater transparency
around competitive energy options. This will enable ComEd customer
service representatives to discuss changes to customer bills, explain
the Price to Compare and direct customers to the ICC’s website for more
information. It will also enable representatives to share the types of
frequently asked questions that may be helpful for anyone considering
alternative retail electric suppliers (ARES).
Assist
In the coming months, eligible ComEd customers will soon be able to
enroll in a Supplemental Arrearage Program (SARP) – an assistance
program that eases the financial stress of paying for power and
encourages energy efficiency as the result of timely bill payments.
ComEd customers who are at 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level and
have back payments owed to ComEd will be able to enroll in SARP. ComEd
is the first utility in Illinois to offer such a program.
“Unfortunately, it is all too common to have to make difficult choices
in order to make ends meet,” said Harold Rice, President and CEO of
CEDA. “That’s why we are proud to stand with ComEd as they launch the
Powering People initiative. It will not only provide financial
assistance for those who need it most, but it will also allow for more
transparency around our bills and ensure greater energy security. Asking
for help can be difficult, but with Powering People, ComEd is leading
the way to make sure the support we need is already there.”
ComEd is prepared to add an additional $100 million to its ComEd CARE
program, which provides financial assistance to its most vulnerable
customers, as part of proposed legislation should it pass.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), a
Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and
natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S.
ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern
Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information
visit ComEd.com
and connect with the company on Facebook,
Twitter
and YouTube.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190408005798/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2019
Source: Business Wire
(April 8, 2019 - 4:27 PM EDT)
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