More than $300,000 in energy bill assistance available for Duke Energy Indiana customers

Rhea-AI Summary

Duke Energy Indiana is offering over $300,000 in financial assistance to help low-income customers pay their energy bills. Through the Share the Light Fund, eligible customers can receive up to $300 annually on their accounts. Over the past five years, the company has assisted over 12,000 households, distributing more than $3 million. Duke Energy will also reduce security deposits for customers eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The initiative is part of a broader commitment to support customers facing financial challenges, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive

• Offering over $300,000 in financial assistance for energy bills.
• Eligible customers can receive up to $300 credit annually.
• Assisted over 12,000 households with more than $3 million in five years.
• Reducing security deposits for LIHEAP-eligible customers.

Negative

• None.

• Company offering new relief measures to help low-income customers

PLAINFIELD, Ind., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- More than $300,000 in financial assistance is available to Duke Energy Indiana customers who may be struggling to pay their energy bills. The funding is made possible through Duke Energy's Share the Light Fund, which brings together customers and communities to help individuals and families in need. Qualifying Duke Energy customers can receive up to a $300 credit annually on their account.

Over the last five years, Duke Energy has supported more than 12,000 Indiana households with more than $3 million in energy bill assistance. The company works in partnership with the Indiana Community Action Association to distribute assistance funds. Customers should contact their local community action agency to see if they are eligible. Click here to find a listing of service providers by county.

Customers interested in helping their neighbors in need will soon be able to easily make a donation to the Share the Light Fund by rounding up their monthly bill amount to the nearest dollar.

In an effort to expand support for low-income customers, Duke Energy Indiana will also begin reducing the security deposit amount for customers eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). In addition, when Indiana's winter disconnection moratorium ends on March 15, LIHEAP-qualified customers carrying a past-due balance will be auto-enrolled in a special, extended installment plan.

These new measures are the latest steps in a companywide effort to pair long-standing programs with creative, new approaches to assist customers and communities in need. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Duke Energy stood up a dedicated team to work in collaboration with government agencies at the state and federal levels to increase customer assistance and expand participation in energy efficiency programs and services. This work includes proactive engagement to educate customers of their eligibility for LIHEAP dollars to help offset energy bills.

Duke Energy offers a number of other tools and resources to help customers take control of their energy use and save money. To learn more about these programs, visit duke-energy.com/HereToHelp.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 890,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. 

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Contact: McKenzie Barbknecht
24-Hour: 800.559.3853

 

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SOURCE Duke Energy