For Customers Adjusting to COVID-19 Restrictions, PG&E Offers Ways to Reduce Energy Use and Bills
March 18 2020 - 6:41PM
Business Wire
Tips, Tools and Programs for Saving Money and
Energy as More Customers Stay Home
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) continues to monitor
the impacts of COVID-19 across its 48-county service area. As the
pandemic impacts our local communities, we understand the potential
for increasing financial struggles facing our customers as schools
and businesses close. With more people remaining at home for
extended periods of time, households may see an increase in energy
use.
“Working from home, while caring for children and youth, adds
stress in an already anxious environment. At PG&E, we know that
electric and gas usage will likely increase for many customers as
they practice social distancing and stay at home. We want to help
customers with common-sense advice and easy-to-use tips to reduce
the impacts on their budgets,” said Laurie Giammona, PG&E’s
Chief Customer Officer and a Senior Vice President.
PG&E is committed to providing safe and reliable energy and
ensuring business continuity in these challenging times. We are not
currently experiencing any disruptions to delivering gas and
electric service to our customers.
Actions to Support Customers
In its continuing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PG&E is
supporting customers with the following actions:
- PG&E voluntarily implemented a moratorium on service
disconnections for non-payment. This suspension applies to both
residential and commercial customers and will remain in effect
until further notice.
- For the cities and counties that have a shelter-in-place order,
PG&E will not perform work that requires a clearance resulting
in a planned outage that impacts customers. If there’s critical
work that requires a planned outage, it will be elevated for
resolution.
- For the cities and counties without a shelter-in-place order,
PG&E will not perform work that requires a clearance resulting
in a planned outage that impacts customers with the exception of
Wildfire Mitigation Program work. We will work to minimize customer
impact, if possible, with temporary construction or generation. If
there is critical work that requires a planned outage, it will be
elevated for resolution.
- It has formally activated its Emergency Operations Center to
facilitate and coordinate the company’s response to the spread of
the virus. The company has had an Incident Management Team
monitoring and responding to the virus for three weeks.
Tips, Tools and Programs to Save Energy and Money
Here are some tips and easy-to-use resources to help manage your
home energy usage during this difficult time.
Heating and cooling
- Recommended thermostat temperatures, health permitting, are
68°F when home and awake, and 58°F when away or asleep.
- Consider wearing a sweater or using a blanket to stay
warm.
- Evaluate conditions before turning on central heating. If the
household is gathered in one room, maybe use an electric space
heater. Remember to first read and follow all safety
guidelines.
- Warm your home naturally by opening blinds and windows during
sunnier hours.
Electronics, appliances and lighting
- Use computer sleep and hibernate modes, which can be activated
through your computer’s power settings.
- Plug all personal electronics into a power strip and simply
turn off the power strip when electronics aren’t in use.
- When not in use, unplug small appliances and electronics, like
coffee makers and printers.
- Open blinds and window coverings and use natural light instead
of lamps.
TV and game consoles
- Turn down the brightness of your TV. Factory settings are
typically brighter than needed.
- Use Energy Saving features. There are eco or energy-saving
settings that automatically adjust backlight and disable certain
features, like voice commands when in standby mode.
- Use smaller screens, like tablets, to stream media.
- Completely turn off TVs and game consoles.
More tips, tools and resources
- Talk to household members about an energy-savings plan. Engage
kids and have them turn lights and electronics off or shut doors
behind them.
- Access your PG&E online account to monitor energy use and
check or compare your rate plan.
- Explore programs, like Budget Billing to help avoid or manage
unanticipated high bills. The California Alternate Rates for Energy
Program (CARE) provides qualified customers with a monthly
discount. Customers can apply for CARE online. Applying is easy and
only takes about five minutes. Qualifying customers will begin
receiving the CARE program discount within their next billing
cycle.
Keeping Customers and Employees Safe by Closing Service
Centers
All PG&E’s customer service centers where customers normally
pay their bills closed on Tuesday, March 17. Customers who
typically pay their bills at one of these centers can call
1-877-704-8470, mail payments to PG&E, P.O. Box 997300,
Sacramento, CA 95899, or go to pge.com to learn how to pay online
or to find nearby Neighborhood Payment Centers.
The safety and health of our customers, employees and
communities we serve is our primary responsibility. We have
instructed our employees who have direct customer contact to take
social distancing precautionary measures, such as avoiding
handshakes and wearing disposable nitrile gloves while in
customers' homes. We are committed to continue addressing customer
service needs.
No disruption in gas or electric service is anticipated due to
the public health crisis. Please visit ww.pge.com/covid19/ to read
more about PG&E’s response to the virus.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
pge.com and pge.com/news.
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