Latest news with #DollarEnergyFund
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Many York City residents are eligible for savings on wastewater bills
With inflation still on the rise, Pennsylvanians are watching every dollar. Most of us look for savings at the grocery store or the gas pump. Recently, I was in the City of York to discuss another way residents can stretch their budgets: saving money on their utility bills. For more than 40 years, Dollar Energy Fund has been serving Pennsylvanians by providing utility assistance grants and other services. Now we're working with Pennsylvania American Water to get the word out that more than 5,000 York residents still can save money on their wastewater bills. That's because Pennsylvania American Water customers may be eligible to participate in their H2O Help to Others assistance program, which provides a discount on wastewater bills – saving the average residential customer $40.53 to $93.12 every month. That's money that can be put toward groceries and other important household items. Pennsylvania American has offered this assistance to customers for more than 30 years but has recently expanded program eligibility. The expanded program means that customers may now receive discounts of between 30% and 90% of their monthly wastewater bills. Pennsylvania American Water also increased the income eligibility for its H2O Help to Others wastewater grants, which provides up to $500 per household per year for eligible customers. Pennsylvania American Water also created a new Arrearage Forgiveness Program, which 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 eliminate their past-due balance. These programs are administered by Dollar Energy Fund, the organization that I proudly lead with a mission to improve the quality of life for households experiencing hardships by providing utility assistance and other services that lead to self-sufficiency. The money offered through these assistance programs can make a real difference for Pennsylvania families, but only if they take advantage of it. Right now, only 4% of eligible York customers are enrolled in H2O Help to Others programs. That means more than 5,000 in York alone are leaving money on the table. We encourage York-area customers to see if they qualify for any of these programs and share this information with friends and family who might benefit from the available assistance. To check your eligibility or to apply for Pennsylvania American Water's H2O Help to Others grants and/or bill discounts, customers should contact Dollar Energy Fund at 1-888-282-6816 or This short investment of your time could result in a significant savings on your utility bill throughout the year. So take the time and see if you qualify today. Chad Quinn is CEO of Dollar Energy Fund, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization that administers utility assistance programs, including Pennsylvania American Water's H20 Help to Others customer assistance program. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Many York PA residents are eligible for savings on wastewater bills
CBS News
04-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Pittsburgh's cold snap is leaving some with utility bills they can't afford. Here's how you can get help.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburghers' gas and electric bills are likely showing some spikes after last month's winter blast. It may have some people wondering how they're going to afford to pay their bills. Chad Quinn, the CEO of the Dollar Energy Fund, says people shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for help. "What we try to tell people is to contact your utility company, ask them, 'What programs are available for me?' Again, it could be something as simple as a budget. There's no embarrassment in asking for that," Quinn said. The Dollar Energy Fund is a nonprofit that was started in Pittsburgh and has expanded to many different states. "For a family of four making $64,000 or less, that is about 200% of the federal poverty guideline, that is a family Dollar Energy Fund can help," Quinn said. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission requires utilities to have programs to help people struggling to pay their bills. There are a lot of programs and organizations like Dollar Energy Fund. So where do you start? First call your utility company. Did you know they will happily set you up on a payment plan? "What I'd like to stress for everyone is utility companies do not want to turn people off. They want to find a way to help you, and they're willing to connect you with programs," Quinn said. After you call your utility company, you can also reach out to the Dollar Energy Fund and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for help.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Incomplete Records Put 20,000 Pennsylvania American Water Customers at Risk of Losing Bill Discount Financial Assistance
New income and household size verification requirements in place MECHANICSBURG, Pa., February 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The average customer enrolled in Pennsylvania American Water's H2O Help to Others customer assistance Bill Discount Program saves between $17.66 and $64.99 on their water bill and/or $40.53 to $93.12 on their wastewater bill each month*, a utility savings welcomed by more than 30,000 program participants statewide, particularly amidst currently rising costs and significant inflation. That's why the company is urging participating customers to comply with income verification requirements to maintain their program eligibility and enrollment. *Average savings based on four income-based assistance tiers. "The Bill Discount Program is an important component of our recently expanded H2O Help to Others customer assistance offerings. Throughout 2024, we provided bill discounts totaling $14 million to approximately 34,300 enrolled customer accounts," explained Tawana Dean, the company's senior manager of customer compliance. "This assistance is one of the ways We Keep Life Flowing for our customers facing financial difficulty. We want to make sure that the benefit stays in place for those who need it. But we need them to act now!" With new requirements, Pennsylvania American Water must now verify participating customers' incomes and household size to ensure they meet and maintain program eligibility. Of the customers currently enrolled in the program, approximately 20,200 still need to provide income and household verification. If customers fail to verify these details, they risk being removed from the program and losing the monthly discount. Over the past several months, Pennsylvania American Water has taken action to proactively notify those customers who still need to provide income verification by direct mail and email and bill messaging. The company also made more than 18,000 calls to potentially impacted customers in late 2024. When notified by the company - a process taking place on a staggered basis - customers have 10 days to respond before being removed from the bill discount program. To provide income and household size verification and continue participation in Pennsylvania American Water's Bill Discount Program, customers should contact Dollar Energy Fund, the H20 Helo to Others program administrator, by visiting or by calling 888-282-6816. The Bill Discount Program saves many customers hundreds of dollars each year by offering those with household incomes up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIG) a 30-90% discount on service fees and a 20-80% discount on volumetric charges for water customers and a 37-85% discount on total charges for wastewater customers each month. "We encourage our customers to learn more about our H2O Help to Others Program and take advantage of its offerings by visiting Dean added. "In addition to monthly bill discounts, we offer annual grants, water-saving devices and education and an Arrearage Management Program for income-eligible customers. Our customers can also take advantage of budget billing and installment plans and preferred due date selection to help manage their bills." Pennsylvania American Water customers who would like to lend a hand to others in need can contribute to H2O Help to Others by adding a donation to their monthly water and/or wastewater bill. Since the company assumes all administrative costs, 100 percent of donations, as well as the company's matching funds, go directly to qualifying customers. About American Water American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water's 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. For more information, visit and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram. About Pennsylvania American Water Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people. View source version on Contacts Media Contact: David MisnerSenior Manager, External Sign in to access your portfolio
