Duke Energy is dedicating an additional $200,000 in financial assistance to its Indiana customers who may be struggling to pay their energy bills.
Qualifying Duke Energy customers can receive up to a $300 credit annually.
Year-to-date, Duke Energy has aided nearly 1,700 Indiana households with more than $378,000 in energy bill assistance through its Share the Light Fund.
Duke Energy works in partnership with the Indiana Community Action Association to distribute assistance funds. Customers should contact their local community action agency to see if they are eligible. A list of Indiana community action agencies by county can be found at www.incap.org/energy-assistance.
“We know that our customers are facing rising costs for necessities, from groceries and transportation to their electric bill, which has risen due to escalating fuel costs to produce electricity,” said Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar. “We’ve found that more of our customers could take advantage of the resources available to them, and we want to connect them to help.”
The company also is encouraging customers who may be struggling to apply to the Indiana Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The federally funded program is administered through statewide community action agencies and assists qualifying individuals with their energy bills. The application period opened Oct. 3.
”We expect that with the rising cost of natural gas and heating oil, as well as the challenging economy, the number of families in need of energy assistance will increase again this year. We are proud to partner with our local service providers to administer the Energy Assistance Program to help Hoosiers with these costs,” said Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
Hoosiers should contact their local service provider to apply for LIHEAP. A list of service providers and more information can be found at eap.ihcda.in.gov.
Duke Energy also offers a number of tools and resources to help customers manage their bills, control their energy use and save money, including:
Budget Billing: Budget Billing lets customers pay one predictable amount every month to better manage their budget. The amount is periodically reviewed and adjusted.
Pick Your Due Date: Customers can choose the date they want their Duke Energy bill to be due each month to align with a date that works for them.
Installment plans: Duke Energy recently extended interest-free payment plans from three to six months for eligible Indiana customers. Customers can request a few extra days or restructure a past-due balance into a monthly payment plan. Customers should contact Duke Energy at 800.521.2232 to discuss options available to them.
Usage alerts: Customers can sign-up for emails and/or texts halfway through a billing cycle, well before a bill arrives, with their current usage amount and a projection of what their final monthly bill could be.
Budget alerts: Customers can also set alerts, so they know when their bill reaches a specific dollar amount of their choosing, allowing them to adjust their usage before their bill arrives.
To learn more about these programs and others, visit duke-energy.com/HereToHelp.
