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Gulf Power Low-Income Customers Can Get Help Paying Their Bill
February 4, 2009
Cold winter weather means higher energy bills and for low income households that may cause difficulties. But Gulf Power Company has several programs that help customers save money on their energy bills, make their homes more energy efficient or help them get direct assistance.
Some of those programs include:
Gulf Power participates with the Salvation Army in Project Share, a program that provides emergency assistance to those who need help with energy bills, repairs to heating and air-conditioning equipment, and other energy-related needs. Project Share and other non-profit programs assist the elderly, the disabled, the sick, and others experiencing financial hardship. Eligible customers can apply for Project SHARE assistance at The Salvation Army office in their county. Eligibility requirements for Project SHARE recipients are set by The Salvation Army. Gulf Power customers can donate to the program by indicating so on their power bill.
Gulf Power offers a bill payment option called Budget Billing. Budget Billing can “levelize” monthly payments so customers can know approximately how much their bill will be each month and avoid high cost fluctuations caused by increased energy purchases during very cold or hot periods.
Gulf Power also has many excellent programs to help customers save money by making their homes and businesses more energy efficient (see list below following assistance programs).
The WAP (Weatherization Assistance Program) and LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) are federal, statewide programs that help pay energy bills for low-income households. To find out more about qualifications, contact your county’s local WAP and/or LIHEAP agency, which can be found on the Department of Community Affairs Web site at http://www.floridacommunitydevelopment.org/liheap/index.cfm or by calling the state’s information line at 2-1-1.
Florida Low-income energy assistance programs Florida Division of Housing and Community Development The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP & WAP-LIHEAP) annually provides grant funds to community action agencies, local governments, Indian tribes and non-profit agencies to provide specific program services for low-income families of Florida. The assistance includes: repair or replace inefficient heating and cooling units, air-infiltration/weather stripping, caulking, thresholds, minor wall, ceiling and floor repairs, window and door replacement, attic insulation, repair or replace water heaters, install solar screens, apply solar reflective coating to manufactured homes, and attic ventilation.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides grants to local governments and non-profit agencies to assist eligible low-income households in meeting the costs of home heating and cooling. Assistance includes utility bill payment, crisis and emergency assistance (bill payment, utility deposits, fees for restoring power, fans, repair or replacement of heating or cooling equipment, blankets and other items as needed, other items specific to the emergency). These programs receive funding from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The extent of services to be provided depends on available funding. The LIHEAP program also is funded each year by the federal Department of Energy.
Local community assistance programs (listed below) accept applications, and the Department of Community Affairs (Division of Housing and Community Development) sets guidelines for participation.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
WAP-LIHEAP
Community Action Program Committee, Inc.
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 628
Pensacola, Florida 32591
Street Address: 1380 North Palafox Street
Pensacola, Florida 32591
Executive Director: Ms. Brenda Trimble, Executive Director
E-MAIL: trimbleb@capc-pensacola.org
Program Director: Ms. Agnes Doering
E-MAIL: agnes@capc-pensacola.org
LIHEAP Coordinator: Ms. Sandra Johnson
E-MAIL: sandra@capc-pensacola.org
Finance Officer: Ms. Janet Saunders
E-MAIL: janet@capc-pensacola.org
Phone: (850) 438-4022 ext. 12
FAX: (850) 438-0121
WAP Coord: Ms. Connie Parker
E-MAIL: connie@capc-pensacola.org
Phone: (850) 438-4021
Counties Served: Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa WAP, WAP/LIHEAP
Santa Rosa-CSBG and LIHEAP served by Tri County Comm. Action Agency
FL Dept. of Community Affairs Consultant-CSBG/LIHEAP: Ms. Joe Anne Jones
Comments
11 Responses to “Gulf Power Low-Income Customers Can Get Help Paying Their Bill”
I, a mother of 4 and being 8.5 mths pregnant, a single parent, now on unemployment due to being discriminated against for being pregnant at work. Have seen a big jump of about 300 a month for the last 3 months. I was living in the women’s shelter 3 months ago with two of my boys and was helped by LIEHA to have my power turned back on after 8 months of being homeless due to the inability to pay a past due bill of over 600 plus their deposit of 350. Perhaps subsiding is called for to equal out our pockets before we all end up homeless because of Gulf Power. DCF showed at my door the 2nd day I was without power and demanded that my children could not stay here, that I could. Is there something wrong with this picture? The help is not out there to prevent this from happening to your family. I just wonder if a class action lawsuit is in order to get all of this boycotting and mind controlled GP money hungry freaks under control.
Always check your meter mine was off by over a 1000 keg which is about 130$.
I have had my fill of Gulf Power, My power bill went from 198 last month to 400.00 this month, 3 times it has spiked out of control FOR NO REASON. I have asked for some one to look into it at customer service and they say every thing is fine! How is that fine? over a 200.00 jump in service? I can’t afford to pay this last jump. I know something MUST be wrong but I can’t even get Gulf Power to check any thing, much less help with the bill, then have the nerve to talk to me like garbage. I work 70 hrs a week i’m not a dead beat. How do some people sleep at night?
I called all the numbers, got the same as the other people. I am at my whits end. I paid what I could and praying to god they don’t dissconect me. I can’t afford the power bill much less to loose all the food in the frig and freezer. I’m guessing they don’t care much about my child having food to eat. Soulless jerks.
I experienced much of the same. I have never had to depend on any assistance before because I’ve always worked, however; I became one of the many thousands of American/Floridians who found ourselves out of work due to lay-off. This past winter the utility bills were extremely costly, and I needed help.
I would call the places for help such as Catholic Charities, Community Action, etc.. and I was told to call back and when I did, no matter how early in the morning I called, I always got the same reply, ” the money is gone try again next time” Who knows how to get this money? As soon as the office opens I’m calling as directed. Can the same people repeat getting this service? Are the employees giving to their favorites or their friends and family members? There should be a better way to have your needs heard until this economy gets back on it’s feet.
I agree ! Gulf Power is a multi million dollar company who offers phone numbers of organizations that help but WHERE IS THEIR HELP !!!! They dont offer anything directly from them to help the community . They have NO programs ( in this horrible economy ) to help families keep power. PRETTY SAD GULF POWER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so far my bill runs 300 to 500.00 a month i live on widows. benifits there is no way i can keep paying so much my trailor is 510.00 a month my electric is more than my morage can you help me. why is it so much thank you send help
So what and when is something going to be done about these problems? I am disabled and in a similar circumstance because I receive no help with energy assistance. I won’t hold whats left of my breath to receive a response. Maybe you should provide all those who have similar complaints a list of each of us so we may communicate in pursuing a class action case against Gulf Power.. I hereby give permission for my info. to be placed on said list. What say you all?
Everyone that said you can’t get through to these numbers for help are absolutely CORRECT! Or if by some miracle you do the person says they are out of funds, appointments are filled call back, or you have to call on a different day. They only take so many appointments and you must call in on a specific day between the hours of 9:00 am to 10:00 am only. If you are working ” trying to help yourself working, ratyher than staying home collecting benefits, you can’t take time from your job to keep hitting redial to get through, or you risk loosing the job you have! My daughter, single Mom of 5 , went through this, I called to try to help her get through and I was told she had to call on a different day ( which was 2 weeks away) and by that time her electric would have been cut off. The lady clearly stated she did not understand why my daughter could not just keep hitting redial and get through. After all everyone else does! I told her because she is at work and her boss does not like workers to keep hitting redial for over an hour trying to get through to a number for personal reasons. She said, well that’s the way the system is set up, is there anything else I can help you with?! So, in a nut shell they don’t care. You have to be sitting at home constantly hitting redial to even have a chance to get through at all! A VERY POOR system. System is not set up to help the people wo need it. It is set up for the worker so he/she has to deal with the needy, very minimally and at their convienence. They could care less about your hard times.
I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF FOUR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 18 AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HELP BUT WITH NO LUCK. I HAVE TRIED CALLING EVERY PHONE GIVEN INCLUDING COMMUNITY ACTION AND THE CARE MINISTRY AT EAST BRENT BAPTIST. I ALWAYS GET A BUSY SIGNAL OR WHEN I DO GET THROUGH I AM TOLD TO CALL BACK ON A CERTAIN DATE/ NO FUND OR THEIR NOT TAKING ANY MORE REQUEST FOR TODAY. I AM IN DANGER OF LOOSING MY POWER . PLEASE HELP.
I have a family of 6 in my house including myself, my wife, my children aged five three and one, and a disabled mother. The electricity is in my wife’s name, and Gulf Power decided to go back many years and add past owed utility bills of my wife, myself, and my mother. They wanted $1,288 or they would shut off the power. I told them they had lost their mind, I’m the only working person in a 6 member family and there is no possibly way to pay their ransom and rent and other utilities too.
So for the last 5 months, I’ve been running my home on an emergency generator at a cost of $25 a day for fuel. That’s $750 a month to partially run my electricity, which is $3,750 to date.
When you try to call these assistance programs, which by the way only take calls on a certain day of the week for an hour, the line is either perpetually busy or when you finally get through, they tell you their budget is spent and you must call back weeks later.
If you came to this webpage seeking help with your bill, forget it. Gulf Power is the only game in town and they don’t care one tiny bit about your hard time. They only want money and lots of it.
Do yourself a favor and spend your time finding your own help because you won’t get anywhere with these programs.
I WENT ON THIS WEBSITE TRYING TO GET ASSISTANCE IN PAYING MY ELECTRIC AND GAS BILLS.I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF THREE AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HELP SINCE DECEMBER 2008 BUT WITH NO LUCK.I TRY CALLING THESE OFFICES LISTED BELOW AND I ALWAYS GET A BUSY SIGNAL OR WHEN I DO GET THROUGH I AM TOLD TO CALL BACK ON A CERTAIN DATE WHICH IS USUALLY 2-3 WEEKS AWAY AND BY THEN I AM IN DANGER OF LOOSING MY POWER OR GAS. I HAVE HAD TO SOMETIMES WITHOUT HAVING POWER AND HERE RECENTLY I WENT WITHOUT GAS FOR ALMOST A MONTH BACK IN DECEMBER WHICH MEANS NO HOT WATER AND NO HEAT. I TRIED CALLING BUT NO LUCK.SO HOW OR WHERE CAN I GET EMERGENCY HELP ASAP.