West Penn Power

Assistance and Service Programs - Help Paying Your Bill

Do you need help with your electric bill? Please review these programs for the solution that works best for you.

Energy Assistance Programs
Payment Arrangements
Medical Needs Assistance
Additional Information

Energy Assistance Programs

You may be eligible to enroll in one of these payment assistance programs to help you get through your current financial hardship.

Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program (PCAP) -- 1-888-282-6816
PCAP helps residential customers maintain electric service and eliminate their past-due balance by offering a reduced bill that is based on a percentage of income and debt forgiveness. Debt forgiveness credits are applied directly to participants' electric service accounts in recognition of payments that are made on time and paid in-full. PCAP participants also are automatically enrolled in the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) – a budget plan that provides the ability to make consistent monthly payments. Enrollment in the EPP is a requirement for PCAP.

The goals of PCAP – the most affordable payment plan – are to:

1. Improve ability to make a payment
2. Reduce consumption of electricity (eligible PCAP customers must participate in WARM)
3. Reduce electric account debt

PCAP is administered by Human Services staff members and Dollar Energy Fund. There are household income requirements and other program qualifications. Read more regarding PCAP:

PCAP brochure
PCAP brochure (Spanish version)
Get to Know PCAP
Get to Know PCAP (Spanish version)
PCAP Referrals-Application Process
PCAP Referrals-Application Process (Spanish version)

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) -- www.compass.state.pa.us* or 1-866-857-7095
LIHEAP is a federally funded grant program administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through its network of local county assistance offices. LIHEAP provides customers help with paying winter heating bills, and occasionally summer cooling bills. LIHEAP funds may be used to pay an electric bill even if electricity is not the main source of heat. There are household income requirements for this program. LIHEAP has two components:

1. CASH provides a cash payment directly to the utility, to be applied toward bill reduction if certain guidelines are met.

2. CRISIS provides a grant to help avoid shut off of electric service, which resulted from over-due bills. This grant also can be used to restore service shut off during the winter months.

Customer Assistance & Referral Evaluation Services Program (CARES) -- 1-800-736-3404
CARES provides assistance on a short-term basis to payment-troubled residential customers. Based upon the circumstances, company representatives make referrals to social agencies and provide information on appropriate company and/or external programs.

CARES is open to:
- Any customer 60 years of age or over
- A handicapped or disabled person
- A seriously ill person
- A family with a seriously ill family member who resides in the household

Dollar Energy Fund -- www.dollarenergy.org* or 1-888-282-6816
The Dollar Energy Fund is an emergency hardship fund designed to help residential customers who have suffered a recent financial hardship and need temporary help in paying their electric bill. Program funding is provided by West Penn Power customers and FirstEnergy shareholders. The distribution of funds is administered by community-based organizations throughout West Penn Power’s service territory.

WARM Program - Low Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP) --1-888-406-8074
The WARM Program can help low-income customers’ lower electric bills and keep their homes more comfortable in the winter and summer months. It is available to homeowners and renters with landlord approval.

Customers participating in WARM:
- Receive an in-home energy evaluation
- Work with a trained energy educator to create an energy-savings plan
- Have the opportunity to receive the following energy-saving items installed in the home:
  - Caulking and weather-stripping
  - Refrigerator/freezer testing and possible replacement
  - Electric water heater inspection
  - Energy-saving light bulbs

The specific improvements that you are eligible to receive will be determined during your home energy evaluation. No payment is required for these installations/services.

There are household income requirements and electricity use requirements. Call to see if you qualify at 1-888-406-8074, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and ask for the WARM program, or click here for more information and an online application.

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Payment Arrangements

Extended Due Date
If you are at least 60 years old and receive a Social Security or pension check, or if you receive disability assistance, and your electric bill is usually due just before your monthly benefit check comes, we can extend your payment due date until after your check arrives.

Extended Payment Plan
If conditions make it difficult to pay your electric bill on time, we can arrange an extended payment plan. This maintains service while you make payments more suited to your financial situation.

Third Party Notification
Select a third party (a friend, relative, clergy, or social service agency) to be notified, along with yourself, if your electric service is about to be disconnected. The third party is not obligated to pay overdue bills, but can remind you of pending disconnection and help you make payment arrangements.

Military Deferred Payment Program
This program is designed to assist customers who are having financial difficulties because their family members have been called to active military duty. Customers participating in the program may elect to defer paying either all or part of their monthly electric bill. When the family member in the military service returns home, the account will be reviewed to determine payment arrangements for the balance owed.

Customers who have switched to an alternative generation supplier may defer the charges paid to their supplier only if that supplier offers a deferred payment program. If a supplier does not offer a deferred payment program, the supplier charges must be paid each month.

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Medical Needs Assistance

Critical Customer Care Program
The Critical Customer Care Program identifies customers who use certain electrically operated life sustaining medical equipment in their home. The program helps customers - for whom a service interruption could be immediately life threatening, or would make operation of necessary medical or life supporting equipment impossible or impractical - prepare for planned and unplanned power outages. Please call us if someone in your home uses this type of medical equipment.

Medical Certification
Customers with severe health problems may have a licensed physician certify in writing that a termination of electric service would be especially dangerous. The medical certification will postpone the termination of electric service for 30 days. The certification is designed to provide the customer with additional time to pay their past-due balance. The customer is still responsible for the past-due amount and will be given the opportunity to pay the balance in monthly installments.

Additional Information

*By clicking these links you are leaving the FirstEnergy website and entering websites maintained by the Public Utilities Commission of Pennsylvania (PUC - www.puc.state.pa.us), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (www.compass.state.pa.us), and Dollar Energy (www.dollarenergy.org). They are entirely responsible for the content of their websites.

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