LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it is working with Goodwill Southern California to promote its energy efficiency and money-saving programs for qualifying customers. The Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) program and the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) bill discount program help customers save money on their SoCalGas bill while also helping to improve the safety and comfort of their homes. SoCalGas will publicize the programs with banners, flyers and applications at all participating Goodwill stores in its service territory beginning this month.
"Now more than ever, we need to make sure that all customers who qualify for these programs are aware of them and are getting signed up. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting many families in Southern California economically, programs like these could help immensely. Qualifying customers are not only eligible for a 20% discount on their monthly SoCalGas bill from CARE; if they also take advantage of the ESA Program for home retrofits as well, their combined annual savings could grow to over $800," said Brian Prusnek, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. "Our partnership with Goodwill is another example of our commitment to our customers and our communities so that they have clean, reliable and affordable energy."
"Goodwill Southern California is proud to partner with SoCalGas, an organization that recognizes the importance of giving back to the community," said Patrick McClenahan, President and CEO of Goodwill Southern California. "We are particularly appreciative that this alliance will provide relief for families in the communities we serve."
In addition to providing printed materials and applications inside 10 Goodwill Southern California retail stores, SoCalGas will also work with employees at Goodwill SoCal Employment Centers who can work directly with their clients to provide information on SoCalGas's energy- and money-saving measures.
The CARE assistance program aims to aid people in paying their utility bills. Qualifying customers can receive a 20% discount on their SoCalGas bill each month and save an average of $145 dollars over two years through this program. Currently, SoCalGas has over 1.5 million customers enrolled in the CARE program. This is especially important in light of increasing economic impacts caused by the pandemic.
The ESA program provides eligible customers with home improvements, at no cost to the renter or homeowner, that help conserve energy, reduce natural gas use and will enhance their safety, health, and comfort. SoCalGas provides this service to over 100,000 customers a year. Those who qualify receive services and professionally installed upgrades worth hundreds of dollars. Improvements may include clothes washer replacement, water heater replacement, furnace replacement, attic insulation, door weather-stripping and more. This program helps customers save money on energy – up to $700 annually. SoCalGas has helped over one million of its customers save on their energy bills through energy efficient upgrades with the ESA program.
To qualify for either CARE or ESA, the customer or someone in the customer's household must be enrolled in a public assistance program or meet income qualifications. To learn more, please visit socalgas.com/assistance.
SoCalGas has donated more than $2.5 million to nonprofit organizations for COVID-19 recovery efforts, including supporting the region's workforce, feeding the hungry, providing bill assistance to customers, and more.
Together, the Sempra Energy family of companies – including SoCalGas's sister California utility San Diego Gas and Electric, and the Sempra Energy Foundation – have donated more than $12.5 million to those in need during this crisis.
For more information on SoCalGas's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/coronavirus.
About Goodwill Southern California
Transforming lives through the power of work, Goodwill Southern California (GSC) serves individuals with disabilities or other vocational challenges by providing education, training, work experience and job placement services. Each year, GSC prepares and places thousands of individuals into sustainable employment through programs and services offered at three campuses, Career Resource Centers, Work Source Centers, Deaf, Youth and Veteran Employment Programs throughout Los Angeles (north of Rosecrans Ave.), Riverside and San Bernardino counties. GSC supports its mission with proceeds generated from more than 80 stores and over 40 attended donation centers. GSC spends 95 percent of its budget on programs and services. Committed to caring for the earth, last year GSC diverted over 100 million pounds of reusable or recyclable goods from landfills. Goodwill is GOOD for Everyone!
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas's vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
SOURCE Southern California Gas Company
