FORT WAYNE, Ind., – Sometimes unfortunate circumstances may lead to some customers needing assistance or help to pay their electric bills. Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is Powering the Next Energy Saving Idea as it offers a variety of payment options and programs, including grants to help qualified Indiana customers with their bill and weatherization improvements, if qualified.
I&M offers grants, programs and payment assistance plans, and wants to remind customers I&M is here to help them if they experience an economic hardship. The reminder comes during National Energy Awareness Month, which encourages the government and organizations to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability and managing the nation's energy resources.
"Helping our customers save energy and money while bringing value to their daily lives is important to Indiana Michigan Power," said Gina Kostoff, I&M's Energy Efficiency Residential Liaison manager. "I&M is empowering customers with programs, flexible payments plans, rebates and energy efficiency tips to help create a safe and efficient home for their families."
In 2020, I&M helped nearly 157,000 customers with payment assistance plans and through various local community, state and federal organizations totaling more than $67 million. More than 130,000 Hoosiers and more than 26,000 Michiganders received financial assistance and signed up for payment plans. It's important to I&M to help customers reduce energy bills and provide payment options like these listed below.
Programa de Vecino a Vecino
I&M collaborates with Dollar Energy Fund and local organizations to provide grants to help customers pay their electric bills. The Neighbor to Neighbor program helps low-income customers get back on their feet. Since 2018, nearly 1,200 customers have received grants totaling nearly $270,000 thanks to the support/help from I&M and local organizations.
Beginning Nov. 1, I&M customers in Indiana can apply for winter heating grants. Customers can also help their neighbors in need by donating to the Neighbor to Neighbor program. Since 2018, customers have donated more than $97,000 to the Neighbor to Neighbor fund. For more information visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/PaymentAssistance.
Opciones de pago flexibles
I&M also provides customers with additional time to pay their bills and offers payment plans. I&M helped more than 100,000 Indiana customers with payment arrangements in 2020 alone. I&M offers extensión del pagos, which gives customers a few more days to pay their bill in full. Additionally, the company also offers extended payment arrangements, enabling customer to spread out their payments over a few months.
Asistencia local y federal
I&M works with local and federal organizations to help customers find local and federal assistance. Together, these community partnerships have assisted more than 28,000 customers with paying their utility bills. Customers can call 211 or visit IN211.org for information about utility, housing, healthcare and many other types of assistance. They can also find a listing of local and federal assistance agencies on ElectricIdeas.com/Home.
Ahorro de energía en el hogar
Customers can save at home by establishing easy, no-cost energy habits. I&M provides more than 100 tips on ElectricIdeas.com/Tips to help residential and business customers save energy. Customers can also find rebates and energy-saving products at ElectricIdeas.com/Home.
Income-qualified customers (those who make no more than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level) can sign up for a Virtual Home Energy Checkup. For a family of four, the yearly income level is $53,004. Those customers will also receive an energy saving kit valued at up to $48 shipped directly to their home. Por favor visite ElectricIdeas.com/IQW to learn more and sign up.
If the home qualifies, I&M can assist in scheduling recommended weatherization improvements with a qualified contactor and may be able to provide up to $4,000 in improvements. Por favor visite Income Qualified Home Energy Checkup / Weatherproofing (electricideas.com) para obtener más información.
For more information and qualification details on any of these programs or services, please call 1-800-311-4634 or visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/PaymentAssistance.
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ABOUT INDIANA MICHIGAN POWER: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 600,000 customers. Más del 85% de la energía eléctrica que proporcionó en 2020 fue libre de emisiones. I&M tiene a su disposición diversas fuentes de generación, lo que incluye 2,278 MW de generación de energía nuclear en Michigan, 450 MW de generación de energía eólica comprada de Indiana, más de 22 MW de generación de energía hidroeléctrica en ambos estados, casi 35 MW de generación de energía solar a gran escala en ambos estados y 2,620 MW de generación de energía con carbón en Indiana.
ABOUT AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER: American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP también es uno de los productores de electricidad más grandes del país, con aproximadamente 30,000 megavatios de capacidad de generación diversa, que incluye más de 5,500 megavatios de energía renovable. La familia de compañías de AEP incluye a AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (en Virginia y Virginia Occidental), AEP Appalachian Power (en Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma y Southwestern Electric Power Company (en Arkansas, Louisiana, este de Texas y la región del Mango de Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. Para obtener más información, visite aep.com.