CARNEGIE — Starting Oct. 1, funding opened for numerous utility customer assistance programs, including Pennsylvania American Water’s H2O Help to Others Program.
As inflation and the high cost of housing continue to challenge Pennsylvanians, these programs may offer critical relief to families in need.
For more than 30 years, Pennsylvania American Water has been assisting customers who qualify, recently expanding the H20 bill discount program to include customers between 151 percent and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
As a result, 55,000 additional Pennsylvania American Water drinking and/or wastewater customers are eligible, including an estimated 190 additional customers in Kane.
Details are available on our Customer Assistance Programs page.
Area residents should see if they qualify for customer assistance by contacting Dollar Energy Fund at 1-888-282-6816, or applying online at https://www.dollarenergy.org/myapp/.
Additionally, the program’s grant application period has opened and the company launched a new Arrearage Forgiveness Program.
The H2O Help to Others water and wastewater grants up to $500 per household per year will now be available to customers with incomes up to 250% of Federal Poverty Index Guidelines, an increase from 200% of FPIG previously. The grant application period is now open.
The company’s Arrearage Forgiveness Program, a new offering, forgives $25 of participating customers’ past due balance when they make a current monthly bill payment in full, plus a $5 co-payment. For example, if a qualifying customer has a past due balance of $240 and a monthly bill of $30, through the Arrearage Forgiveness Program the customer would pay $35 each month for eight months to fully eliminate their past due balance.
“When hardship arises, it can sometimes be difficult to pay utility bills,” said Tawana Dean, the company’s senior manager of customer compliance. “At Pennsylvania American Water, we understand this, and we want to keep life flowing for our customers in need. The addition of the Arrearage Forgiveness Program to our existing H2O Help to Others services is just one more way we can achieve that goal, and we couldn’t be more proud to offer it.”
To participate in Pennsylvania American Water’s new Arrearage Forgiveness Program, residential customers must be enrolled in the company’s H2O Help to Others monthly bill discounts and meet income eligibility guidelines. They must also have a past due balance of $150 or more for water and/or wastewater services that is at least 60 days past due.
These assistance program changes come in conjunction with new Pennsylvania American Water rates approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s July 22 rate order. Reflecting $1 billion in system investments to address aging infrastructure, the adjusted rates became effective for water and wastewater customers on Aug. 7. Customers can find additional information about changes to their rates by visiting pennsylvaniaamwater.com/rates and referencing the rate zone sheet corresponding to the rate zone number provided on their billing statement.
