Delmarva Power is trying to connect with customers struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delmarva Power says customers behind on their bills during the pandemic can work with the utility.
“We are taking every action right now we can to reach out to customers who may have a past due balance on their Delmarva Power bill and who may have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and urging them to contact us now to set up payment arrangements and work with us to get connected to energy assistance programs,” said Jake Sneeden,communications manager for Delmarva Power. “The biggest thing we can do is establish payment arrangements that are tailored to fit their needs and their situation. And when we do that, we can avoid service disconnections down the road.” Sneeden said.
He outlines some of the options that customers can tap into for help.
There’s a lot of energy assistance (programs) available to customers through the LIHEAP (The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) Program where customers can access up to $1,000 in grants to pay their past due energy balances," said Sneeden. "And then we also offer payment options like budget billing where we can spread a customers’ billing out over a 12 month period.”
Sneeden says energy assistance is also available for limited-income customers. Delaware customers can apply for that assistance by logging on to the Department of Health and Social Services website.
He says since the pandemic started in March, an estimated 3,000 customers in Delaware have applied for assistance.
