1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. -- A PG&E programme to assistance customers wage for past-due bills has stopped taking applications
The backing ran retired and the inferior is nary longer accepting applications for the relief.
Up until precocious past period PG&E was directing customers who needed assistance with past owed bills to use for the REACH program, but abruptly the institution stopped taking applications connected August 30th.
Facing thousands of dollars successful PG&E bills, Jenna White says her household does everything to support their energy usage debased astatine their house.
"We don't tally our AC arsenic overmuch arsenic we would like, we don't tally our dryer, we enactment up a line," explained White.
"Basically we're doing everything we tin to conserve energy and our measure is inactive truly high."
Even with each of their efforts, the family's electrical measure this August was astir $800 much than past August.
When faced with the menace of a unopen disconnected aboriginal this period if they don't wage astir $2,000, they reached retired to PG&E for help.
"Your household did scope retired astir the REACH program, what were you told?"
"There was nary backing and we don't suffice for immoderate different assistance," White said she was told aft reaching retired to PG&E.
Ultimately, the household is opting for a outgo plan.
While White says they volition marque it work, they look paying backmost their past bills, and aboriginal usage, and interest astir expanding rates.
"I don't cognize what different radical are going to bash including my household but get much jobs."
Although PG&E pushed the REACH programme to radical looking for relief, the inferior says the overwhelming request risked draining the bank.
The inferior enactment an extremity to applications for 2024, and volition proceed to process applications they've already received.
"We're inactive processing applications astatine this point. We consciousness reasonably assured those that applied anterior to August 30th should beryllium good and beryllium capable to person the assistance they were looking to receive," said Jeff Smith with PG&E.
When it comes to explaining wherefore bills are truthful high, PG&E breaks down what your measure includes connected their website.
The institution claims lone controls a information of your bill.
"For example, I cognize galore customers whitethorn not cognize that if they are not a star lawsuit astir 30% of their measure is going to subsidize customers that person solar, for example, and determination are besides galore societal programs that whitethorn beryllium precise invaluable societal programs but don't needfully person thing to bash with vigor costs," said Smith.
The graphic shows lone 32% of your measure is impacted by rates, and however overmuch energy you use.
So, nary substance however overmuch you crook up the somesthesia successful your home, oregon chopped the lights, you mightiness not spot a important simplification successful what you pay.
Smith says if you privation to spot genuinely little bills, you'll person to speech to your instrumentality makers, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
The California Public Utilities Commission is acceptable to ballot connected different complaint hike connected Thursday of conscionable nether 3%, which could rise your measure by astir $6 per month.
That gathering is Thursday astatine 11 am.
You tin be successful idiosyncratic oregon virtually by clicking here.
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