Utility Peer Request – Direct Payment Assistance Programming

BGE – David Conn david.conn@bge.com

BGE offers the Gift of Energy program, which allows anyone (customer or not) to contribute money to donate to someone else’s BGE account. You can see more information here. https://www.bge.com/MyAccount/CustomerSupport/Pages/HelpingOthers.aspx

Customers are directed to send their gift, with a gift form, in the form of a check to BGE. These gifts are processed manually by our back office. The program has not been updated in quite a while, and it does not see a lot of participation. We have lately been considering ways to improve, modernize and market the program more effectively. One possible way could be to partner with nonprofits that serve low-income populations, as an incentive to donors to make tax-deductible donations that would go directly to utility bill payment for eligible customers.

SMUD – Kim Rikalo kim.rikalo@smud.org

SMUD allows anyone to make a payment on an account.  We don’t discuss past due balances, but we do allow payments on accounts.  Our agency desk also works with local agencies and creates a “Letter of Agreement” where they can call to commit and send us a payment by the first part of the next month.

JEA – Elizabeth Paulson paulem@jea.com

If You Do Not Have a jea.com Account

JEA Guest Pay is the perfect solution for customers who wish to pay online but do not have a jea.com account, or for someone who wishes to make a payment on behalf of a customer. Use your credit or debit card to pay any account by simply entering a JEA account number.

Guest Pay is only available for customers with an active account paying for utility services. Deposits to start service may not be paid through this option. A valid JEA account number is required.

Pacific Power/Rocky Mountain Power – Charity Spires charity.spires@pacificorp.com

In response to your request, Pacific Power/Rocky Mountain Power offers a Gift Payment program and program details are available online at:

https://www.pacificpower.net/my-account/payments/gift-payments.html

https://www.rockymountainpower.net/my-account/payments/gift-payments.html

Lewis County PUD – Doug Streeter dougst@lcpud.org

We allow other people to make payments on customer accounts, but we do not provide account balance information.  Usually the person wishing to make a payment will suggest an amount and we will confirm if that is enough to maintain or reconnect service if service has been disconnected.  A utility that I used to work for had a local Mayor who would come in weekly and make payments for everyone on the disconnect list.

 

City of Farmington, NM – Nicki Parks nparks@fmtn.org

At Farmington Electric Utility System, we have a program called the “Gift of Light”. It is very popular around the holidays, but is available year round. Anyone can make the payment and after it is rang up, the receipt and a “Gift of Light Certificate” are mailed to the account owner. The payee can opt to have their name identified on the certificate or can remain anonymous.

Every year in November, we request a list of seniors who could use a little help from our local Senior Center. Then when customers call to make a donation (if not for someone specific), we choose someone off the list and apply the payment.

Seattle, WA – Robert Cromwell Robert.cromwell@seattle.gov

We will accept payment from people other than the account holder but will not share any information unless the primary account holder has added them to the account.

Memphis Gas Light and Water – Beverly Perkins bperkins@mlgw.org

Memphis Light Gas and Water created the Gift of Comfort program in 2005. The program provides a means for individuals in the community to make a payment towards a customer’s utility bill as a gift.  A Gift of Comfort can be done in person at any MLGW Community Office by completing the Gift of Comfort (GOC) form and providing payment or by mailing in a check with the GOC form.  The purchaser is provided with a form to give to the gift recipient and the Gift of Comfort appears as a credit on the recipient’s utility bill.

Additional information can be found at http://www.mlgw.com/residential/giftofcomfort

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like additional information.