FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s Universal Service Programs
General Information
Where To Call?
You may directly ask about and apply for FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s Universal Service Programs by calling 1-800-207-1250.
What Are The Names Of FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s Programs?
- LIPURP (Low income Payment & Usage Reduction Program)
- LIURP (Low income Usage Reduction Program)
- CARES (Customer Assistance and Referral Evaluation Service)
- Dollar Energy Fund – Hardship Fund
How Can These Programs Benefit Me?
- LIPURP lowers your monthly electric bill based on the amount of your household income and/or annual usage.
- LIURP helps reduce household electric use through weatherization and energy education resulting in lower bills.
- CARES helps customers with a temporary hardship by connecting you to local social service agencies that can provide assistance.
- Dollar Energy Fund provides grants to stop shut-off or to reconnect service.
What are the actual benefits I can get in LIPURP?
- Reduced Monthly Bills: LIPURP customers pay a reduced monthly bill that is based on their income level or a minimum payment amount based on usage. The bill remains the same every month.
- Unbilled usage amounts, resulting from your reduced monthly bill, will be paid for by grants from FirstEnergy-West Penn Power (up to annual program limits) when you pay your monthly LIPURP bill in full and also pay the $5 co-payment.
- Freezing Past Electric Debt: Any amount that you owed FirstEnergy-West Penn Power while not enrolled in LIPURP will be frozen and will not increase as long as you continue to make your LIPURP monthly payments. A $5 co-payment is added to your monthly minimum payment to help reduce this balance.
- Debt Forgiveness: Your entire past due debt that is frozen when you enter LIPURP may be totally forgiven over time. Two percent will be forgiven each month that you pay your monthly LIPURP bill in full and also pay the $5 co-payment.
How do I know if I am eligible for LIPURP?
To qualify for LIPURP you must:
- Be a current customer or a new applicant for service;
- Have household income at or below 150% of the Federal poverty income guidelines (click here to view a table with the Federal poverty income guidelines); and
- Be payment troubled. To be “payment troubled” you must have broken a payment agreement, received a termination notice, or be behind in paying your bill.
What are my responsibilities to get into and stay in LIPURP?
- You must contact FirstEnergy-West Penn Power to apply. You can call 1-800-207-1250.
- You must verify your household income level at the time of application. If necessary, you may need to provide income verification at a local agency.
- You must be recertified annually by calling 1-800-207-1250.
- You must pay your LIPURP bills in full and on time each month.
- If you are referred for additional conservation services, you must cooperate.
- If you are eligible for LIHEAP and an electric heating customer, you must apply for and be in receipt of a LIHEAP grant.
Can I be removed from LIPURP?
Yes. Although there is no time limit to be in LIPURP, if you do not pay your LIPURP amount in full for 2 months in a row, your service will be terminated. If your service is terminated for more than 10 days, you are removed from LIPURP and will need to reapply once service is restored and your past due LIPURP payments are paid in full. If your household income increases above the eligibility guidelines, or you do not provide the requested annual income information, or you do not comply with program guidelines, then you may be removed from the program.
Can I get back into LIPURP if I am removed from the program?
Once you are removed, in order to be reenrolled into LIPURP, you will need to catch up on all missed LIPURP payments. You must catch up on these payments before your service is shut off for non-payment. After shut-off you may have to pay additional reconnection and deposit fees as well as any past balances which were not forgiven while in LIPURP.
If you request to be removed from LIPURP, tamper with the electric meter, or self-reconnect, you will not be able to get back into the program for one year.
The LIURP Program
What is LIURP?
FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s LIURP program helps households with high electric use levels conserve energy and reduce monthly energy bills.
How do I qualify to get in the LIURP Program?
To qualify for the LIURP program, you must:
- Be a current customer;
- Either have household income at or below 150% of the Federal poverty income guidelines OR have a past due balance and/or high usage AND have household income at or below 200% of the Federal poverty income guidelines (click here to view a table with the Federal poverty income guidelines); and
- Use at least 8,000 kWh of electricity each year.
What are the actual benefits of LIURP?
- By participating in LIURP, you may reduce the amount of energy you use each month. This will most likely result in lower monthly bills.
- By participating in LIURP, you will receive a free home energy usage review, education to help you learn how to reduce your energy use, and the installation of energy conservation measures (i.e., air-sealing, insulation, the replacement of an old refrigerator with a new energy-efficient one).
What are my responsibilities as a LIURP participant?
- To receive services, you must verify your household income level as part of the application process.
- You must apply for any free weatherization services offered.
- As a participant, you must agree to allow a utility employee (or subcontractor) to inspect your residence and perform an energy audit.
- You must allow access to your electric meter for scheduled bimonthly meter readings
- You must plan to live in your residence for the year following program service.
- You must also agree to allow a utility employee (or subcontractor) to inspect your residence up to one year after the conservation measures are installed. This allows the utility to determine if the conservation measures have been cost effective and helped you to reduce your energy consumption.
FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s CARES program helps customers unable to pay their electric bills due to a temporary hardship. The CARES program connects customers with resources located in their own community. These community resources then help the customer manage his/her problems. There is no income level requirement to participate in CARES.
How do I qualify for CARES?
To qualify for the CARES program, you must:
- Be a current customer;
- Be payment troubled; and
- Have a temporary hardship, such as:
- Serious illness or injury to member of household,
- Death of primary wage earner,
- SSI or disability recipient,
- Low income elderly,
- Low income single parent,
- Loss of income to household,
- Marital or family problems,
- Loss of unemployment benefits,
- Protection From Abuse order,
- High medical bills, or
- Mental health disability.
What are the benefits to me of participating in CARES?
- Participants in CARES can receive free referrals to assistance agencies in the local community, such as a nonprofit organization or social service agency.
- Participants in CARES can receive referrals to other FirstEnergy-West Penn Power Universal Services programs.
- Participants in CARES may receive special payment arrangements depending on their payment history and on their specific
situation.
Dollar Energy Fund Hardship Fund Program
FirstEnergy-West Penn Power’s Dollar Energy Fund program provides customers with cash assistance to help pay down their outstanding balances. This program is operated by Dollar Energy Fund, a nonprofit partner of FirstEnergy-West Penn Power.
What are the benefits of applying for a Dollar Energy Fund grant?
If you qualify, you may receive up to $500 toward the payment of your past due utility debt.
When can I request a grant from Dollar Energy Fund?
- From October through February, customers whose service is in threat of termination or whose service is off can apply for a grant while funding is available.
- From March through September, any customer may apply for a grant while funding is available.
How do I qualify for a Dollar Energy Fund hardship grant?
- You must have household income at or below 200% of the Federal poverty income guidelines (click here to view a table with the Federal poverty income guidelines);
- You must have paid at least $150 toward your bill over the past 90 days ($100 if you are 62 years of age or older) or three monthly LIPURP payments, whichever is less;
- You must have more than $100 as a past due balance ($0 balance for those over age 62);
- If you qualify to receive a LIHEAP grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, then you must apply for one before you can apply for a Dollar Energy Fund grant.