SAN DIEGO, Calif., Aug. 25, 2010 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) encourages customers experiencing financial hardship to apply for assistance through a new state program called Temporary Energy Assistance for Families (TEAF). The program, facilitated by the Salvation Army, provides eligible families the opportunity to receive a one-time emergency energy grant of up to $1,500 to pay off past-due utility bills and avoid service shut-off.

        “We are committed to helping families who are hurting the most during this recession,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for SDG&E. “SDG&E and our sister utility, Southern California Gas Company, are working with the Salvation Army to ensure all of our customers are aware of the many kinds of assistance available to them.”

        “The Salvation Army’s role will be to help families get connected to SDG&E resources,” says Captain Suzanne Mondell, Salvation Army Divisional Social Services Secretary.

        The financial assistance is available to qualifying California utility customers through a grant made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and additional funds from California’s investor-owned utilities.  The utilities have been working closely with the counties, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Social Services, and The Salvation Army to implement this program.  SDG&E will have $5 million to help qualifying customers in its service territory. Applications will be accepted only through Sept. 21, so customers should apply as soon as possible.

        The grants are open to customers of SDG&E, Southern California Gas Company, Southern California Edison, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company who are behind in their utility bill payments, are the parent or guardian of a child under 18 years old and meet other program requirements.
 
        To learn more about the state program requirements or to apply for a grant, customers should contact The Salvation Army at (800) 933-9677 or www.tsagoldenstate.org.
 
        In addition to supporting the TEAF program, SDG&E offers a variety of programs to help customers save money and energy. For more information on SDG&E’s assistance programs, visit sdge.com/assistance.

        SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 840,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties.  The utility’s area spans 4,100 square miles.  SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help our customers save energy and money every day.  SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company.

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