Texas public power utility CPS Energy on Oct. 1 said it is ready to help customers who are federal employees affected by the recent U.S. government shutdown, noting it has a variety of assistance programs designed to provide assistance to customers.
“A top priority at CPS Energy is assisting our customers,” said DeAnna Hardwick, Chief Customer Strategy Officer. “We will continue to work closely with our customers who have been impacted to help them find alternate solutions to stay up to date on their CPS Energy bill. We encourage customers to call us to find a solution that best fits their needs.”
CPS Energy has recently launched Assistance Finder, a tool aimed at helping customers apply for bill assistance easier. The tool allows customers to submit one application to gauge which programs they qualify for.
CPS Energy’s assistance programs include:
- Burned Veterans’ Discount Program: Program only applies to veterans who have a significant decreased ability to regulate his or her body’s core temperature because of severe burns received during armed conflict or in combat.
- Residential Energy Assistance Program (REAP): CPS Energy contributes $1 million or more each year to the REAP. "This invaluable program is our commitment to help pay energy bills for customers who qualify for assistance," it noted.
- Budget Payment Plan: Customers’ annual energy bill is averaged over the past year, and a fixed amount is billed making it easier to budget and predict energy dollars for the year.
- Senior Citizen Billing Program: Senior customers are allowed additional time to pay the net amount of energy bills.
- Senior Citizen Late Fee Waiver: Qualifying seniors over 60 years old can sign up to have their late charges waived.
- Affordability Discount Program: Customers may be eligible for a discount on their monthly service charge.
- Casa Verde: Qualifying customers can receive an average of $5,000 in energy efficiency upgrades to their home at no cost, helping save energy month after month.
- Disabled Billing Program: Disabled customers on Supplemental Security Income are allowed additional time to pay the net amount of their energy bills.
- First Responders with Burn Injuries Discount Program: The program provides electric bill payment assistance to those who have significantly decreased abilities to regulate their core body temperatures due to severe burn injuries sustained in the course of providing first responder duties.
- Critical Care – If a customer or a dependent living at home must use electrically-operated medical equipment, the CPS Energy Critical Care Program provides additional time to pay your bills.
