The moratorium on disconnections for non-payment put in place by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in March 2020 has formally ended. In addition to the CARE and FERA program discounts, there are other financial assistance resources and support available.




https://www.pgecurrents.com/2020/03/12/pg-moratorium-on-customer-shutoffs-for-nonpayment/

PG&E’s Pandemic Response Includes Precautionary Health and Safety Actions; Moratorium on Customer Shutoffs for Nonpayment

The company’s enterprise-wide incident response team continues to activate protocols and actions as the situation changes to protect the health and safety of customers and employees; does not expect any disruption in gas or electric service throughout public health crisis 

PG&E announced today (March 12) that due to the COVID-19 pandemic it has voluntarily implemented a moratorium on service disconnections for non-payment, effective immediately. This suspension will apply to both residential … [read more]

The North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD) Board of Directors adopted a COVID-19 Rate Relief Credit program to assist NTPUD residents and businesses that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Rate Relief Credit Program offers a one-time account credit to to customers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Approved qualifying eligible customers, on a first come first served basis, will receive a one-time credit applied to their account equal to one month of the fixed portion of their monthly water and/or sewer utility bill (base charges, system replacement, and state and federal mandate fees).

Applications

1. Review the eligibility guidelines to confirm eligibility.
2. Download the application, email (customerservice@ntpud.org) or call the District at 530-546-4212, to receive a paper copy in the mail, or pick up an application from the vestibule at the Administrative Offices at 875 National Ave. (District offices are clo…

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The Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program, is a joint effort with the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) and PG&E to support people with disabilities and older adults before, during, and after a PSPS event.

The program enables qualified customers who use electrical medical devices to access backup portable batteries through a grant, lease-to-own or the FreedomTech low-interest financial loan program.

Transportation resources, lodging and food options are also provided through an online application process to qualified customers. CFILC administers all aspects of the program.
 
Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program - https://disabilitydisasteraccess.org/public-safety-power-shutoffs/
FreedomTech - https://freedomtech.org/

Registers phone numbers for consumers who want to reduce the number of unwanted sales calls. To register, call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. Or, visit www.donotcall.gov and register online. You will receive a confirmation email from www.donotcall.gov and you must click on the link in the email within 72 hours to complete your registration.

Most legitimate companies don't call if your number is on the Registry. If a company is ignoring the Registry, there's a good chance its a scam. If you get these calls hang up and file a complaint with the FTC.

https://www.waste101.com/hours-location/

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This benefit connects eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.
 
Eligible consumers can receive:

• Up to $50 per month on Home Internet service 
• Up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal Lands
• One-time discount of up to $100 for a computer or a tablet (offered in California by human-I-T when buying their broadband service) 

 
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
 
Qualifications and Applications
Visit https://www.internetforallnow.org/applytoday for an overview of qualifications and steps to apply. One household member must meet one of the criteria listed.

Find a Broadband Provider
Customers without internet: Call 866-696-8748 to help you compare your options.

Customers with internet: Check with your provider … [read more]

Liberty Utilities has implemented an Emergency Disaster Relief Program that provides protections to customers affected by wildfire and other natural disasters. In the event that a State of Emergency is declared at the state or federal level, protections would be available to customers who experience loss or disruption of the delivery or receipt of utility service and/or resulted in the degradation of the quality of utility service.

If these criteria are met, Liberty Utilities will:

• Waive deposit requirements for residents seeking to re-establish service for one year and expedite move-in and move-out service requests
• Stop estimated energy usage for billing attributed to the time period when the home/unit was unoccupied as a result of the emergency
• Discontinue billing
• Prorate any monthly access charge or minimum charges
• Implement payment plan options for residential customers
• Suspend disconnection for non-payment and associated fees, waiver of deposit and late fee requirements
• Provide su…

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If your family income has dropped by 25% or more and/or you qualify for the Nevada County or other assistance programs, you may be eligible for the Truckee Donner Public Utility District's  Energy Savings Program (ESP) and Payment Assistance Credit. Contact Sierra Community House at (530) 587-2513 to see if you qualify. In addition, applicant must be a TDPUD account holder and primary resident. Applicant must re-certify every two years to continue receiving the credit. 

Features and Benefits
A certified energy specialist can assess your home for free to identify opportunities to reduce your energy and water bills. In addition, receive an annual credit on your bill equal to your largest bill in the past 12 months (up to $200). Based on what you need, they will provide you with energy and water savings products to help you start saving immediately.  Products may include:

• Up to 50 energy efficient LED light bulbs
• Low-flow showerheads
• Sink aerators
• Weather stri…

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The Water Well Trust (WWT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created by the Water Systems Council. With its partner it provides funding for wells for low‐income families that need safe drinking water. WWT serves people in the United States who live primarily in rural, unincorporated areas or minority communities that may be isolated and difficult to reach. They assist low‐income families that cannot afford to pay for public water supplies, and those who live in areas where the extension of public water supplies to serve them doesn’t make economic sense for them, for the public water supply owners, for federal, state or local funding sources.

Beneficiaries of the Water Well Trust are low-income families or individuals that have wells that are no longer functioning properly, have contamination issues that render the well unusable, or have no well or safe water source. The Water Well Trust also has funding for septic systems.

The CPUC’s Fire Map (or FireMap) is at https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/firemap/. Most of Nevada County and Placer County are in Tier 2 or 3.To find your tier, enter your address in search box at top right of map.

The Fire Map has the following sections:

• High Fire-Threat District
  • Tree Mortality Task Force – High Hazard Zone Map
  • CPUC Fire-Threat Map* - click checkbox for Tier/s to show on map. Most of Nevada County and Placer County are in Tier 2 or 3.
• California Fire Perimeters (1878-2015)
• Land Cover
• Boundaries / Masks - click checkbox for California Counties to show county lines
• Basemaps

ABOUT THE MAP
The CPUC High Fire-Threat District Map consists of two map sources and includes three fire-threat areas:

Zone 1 consists of Tier 1 High-Hazard Zones (HHZs) from the United States Forest Service (USFS) and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) joint map of Tree Mortality HHZs. Tier 1 HHZs (CAL FIRE) are in direct proximity to communities, roads, and … [read more]