FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Utilities Remind Customers of Financial Assistance to Help with Bills During Coronavirus Emergency

GREENSBURG, Pa., April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the coronavirus pandemic affecting the regional workforce, financial assistance is available for customers of FirstEnergy Corp. FE utilities Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed), Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec), West Penn Power and Pennsylvania Power (Penn Power) who need help paying their electric bills.

Dollar Energy, which administers financial aid programs across Pennsylvania, has approximately $1 million available in its emergency hardship fund to assist FirstEnergy customers.

The economic slowdown precipitated by Pennsylvania's stay-at-home orders to halt the spread of coronavirus has resulted in new financial hardships for many FirstEnergy customers. This may be the first time they have ever needed assistance paying their electric bills.

Assistance to qualifying customers is available through the Dollar Energy Fund and the Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program (PCAP).

• Dollar Energy Fund is an emergency hardship fund designed to help residential customers restore or maintain electric service. Eligible customers may receive up to $500, while funds are available. Program funding is provided by FirstEnergy customers, company employees, FirstEnergy shareholders and other sources. The distribution of funds is administered by the Dollar Energy Fund. For information, call 888-282-6816 or visit www.dollarenergy.org.
• The Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program (PCAP) helps residential customers maintain electric service and/or eliminate their past-due balance. At initial enrollment, the past due balance is set aside for forgiveness. Debt forgiveness credits are applied directly to participants' electric service accounts in recognition of payments that are made in-full. Customers may also qualify for a monthly credit based on income and usage information. PCAP participants are automatically enrolled in the Equal Payment Plan (EPP) – a budget plan that provides the ability to make consistent monthly payments. For enrollment information call 888-282-6816, or to apply online, visit dollarenergy.org/myapp.

To protect customers from the challenges of living without electricity and to limit interactions between employees and the general public, FirstEnergy operating companies recently discontinued service shutoffs for past-due customers during the coronavirus health emergency. Although their service will not be terminated, customers may still receive shut-off notices. These notices are important because they serve as proof of situation to qualify for some assistance programs.   

For more information and frequently asked questions about FirstEnergy's response to the coronavirus emergency, visit https://firstenergycorp.com/help/safety/coronavirus.html.

Met-Ed serves about 560,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.

Penelec serves nearly 600,000 customers within 17,600 square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania. Follow Penelec on Twitter @Penelec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.

Penn Power serves approximately 163,000 customers within 1,100 square miles of western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on Twitter @Penn Power, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennPower.

West Penn Power serves approximately 720,000 customers within 10,400 square miles of central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Follow West Penn Power on Twitter @W_Penn_Power and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WestPennPower.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.