CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural
Gas and its parent company, Duke Energy, today announced a
comprehensive set of steps to help customers, communities and
employees manage the economic hardship caused by COVID-19.
"This is an unprecedented crisis that requires an unprecedented
response," said Lynn Good, Duke
Energy's chairman, president and CEO. "We hope the customers and
communities we are privileged to serve – and the outstanding
employees who serve them – will take some comfort from these
actions."
More Help for Customers
Piedmont will waive late
payment fees and fees for returned payments for its 1.1 million
natural gas customers across its service territories beginning
Saturday, March 21, until the
national state of emergency is lifted. Last week, Piedmont said it would discontinue service
disconnections for unpaid bills.
"Our goal is to continue providing reliable service while
helping our most vulnerable customers during this extraordinary
time," Good said.
Community Assistance
The company also announced $1.3
million in donations by Piedmont and The Duke Energy Foundation to
support hunger relief and help local health and human services
nonprofits across its service territories, including those
providing meals to children and families impacted by school
closures. Given the unprecedented nature of the situation, Duke
Energy is giving nonprofits the flexibility to use the funds where
most needed.
Relief for Employees
To aid in providing continued service to their customers through
this event, Piedmont and Duke
Energy will also expand assistance to employees, in order to
maintain the highest level of service to customers. This is part of
the company's larger donation.
The company is providing five additional personal days off to
employees who experience a disruption in dependent care due to
school, daycare or other child-related care – as most all schools
are not in session. Duke Energy will also provide a $1,500 stipend to assist with unplanned expenses
resulting from costs related to COVID-19 issue.
As part of the company's larger donation, the company is
donating $100,000 to the
Relief4Employees program, which is a fund that its employees can
draw on for short-term financial help during times of personal
need.
Continued service to customers
The company will continue to read meters in most areas and send
bills. Customers should pay what they can to avoid building up
large balances that will be more difficult to pay off
later.
Piedmont Natural Gas delivery facilities and call centers are
staffed, ensuring dependable service to customers. The company will
continue to respond to natural gas outages and other
emergencies.
Customers should visit piedmontng.com for information and
most service transactions. Customers who are unable to self-serve
can still contact the company at 1-800-752-7504.
Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is an energy
services company whose principal business is the distribution of
natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and
industrial customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina
and Tennessee. The company also
supplies natural gas to power plants.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. It employs 29,000 people and
has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its
regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated
Duke Energy Renewables unit.
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to
meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and
work. The foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is
funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about
the foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at
duke-energy.com/foundation.
More information about the company is available at
duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news
releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke
Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Media contact: 877.348.3612
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/piedmont-natural-gas-and-duke-energy-take-new-steps-to-help-customers-communities-and-employees-in-wake-of-covid-19-301027550.html
SOURCE Duke Energy