SAN DIEGO, June 2, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- With summer right around the corner and temperatures warming up, now is the time for San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) income-qualified customers to sign up for an automatic 20-percent discount on their entire energy bill and for other programs that can help them save energy and money.
Income-qualified customers eligible for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program can receive a 20-percent reduction on their energy bill. New enrollment guidelines will extend the benefits of the CARE program to more limited-income customers. Last year, the average SDG&E CARE customer annually saved $240 on the total utility bill with the discounted rate.
Every year, the California Public Utilities Commission adjusts the maximum qualifying income levels to reflect changes in the federal poverty guidelines. The new levels are higher than the previous guidelines set in June 2003. The new income guidelines mean that more customers can qualify for the low-income program. Currently 189,000 SDG&E customers are enrolled in CARE, which represents 72 percent of all the utility's eligible customers. An additional 75,000 are eligible but not enrolled.
"We continue our commitment to making sure that every eligible customer is enrolled in CARE and benefits from the 20 percent savings on their gas and electricity bills," said Michelle Mueller, vice president customer services for SDG&E. "We have partnered with community groups through out our service region to make sure customers who qualify, regardless of where they live, are aware of the CARE program and are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible. "
As of June 1, 2004 the new CARE income guidelines based on pre-tax annual income are as follows:
Household Size Maximum Annual Income
1 to 2 $23,400
3 $27,500
4 $33,100
5 $38,700
6 $44,300
Each additional person Add $5,600 per person
Applying for the CARE Program:
-- Customers can call a toll-free multilingual assistance line:
(800) 411-SDGE to get more information and request an
application form.
-- Customers can find a CARE application in Chinese, English,
Spanish and Vietnamese online at www.sdge.com.
Other Customer-Assistance Programs
SDG&E offers a wide variety of residential programs offering bill-payment assistance, appliance and home-improvement rebates, and energy audits to help customers save money and energy.
Additional information on these programs is available from SDG&E's Web site, www.sdge.com.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to three million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.