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Special bill assistance funds available to eligible senior and low-income Ohio natural gas customers
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Additional bill assistance is available through the company’s Share the Light℠ fund
CINCINNATI – More than $3 million in financial assistance is available to current Duke Energy Ohio natural gas customers who meet income eligibility criteria. Eligible customers can apply to receive a one-time payment of $500 on their current natural gas bill. The funds are available as part of an agreement approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio earlier this year. Of the funds, $450,000 is reserved for qualifying seniors, with the balance available to qualified low-income clients.
To qualify, clients must be 65 years of age or older and at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, or have an income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Customers must also receive natural gas service from Duke Energy Ohio and have an account registered in their name. Funds are available now and will remain available until committed to the accounts of qualifying Ohio customers. More information can be found at duke-energy.com/info/unindexed/ohio-bill-help.
“People are paying more from the grocery store to the gas pump. Our customers are also seeing higher energy bills as rising fuel costs affect the price of energy,” said Amy Spiller, president of Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky. “We know that higher bills can be a struggle for many people, and we want to connect our customers with financial assistance and resources to help.”
Duke Energy is working with local agencies to determine eligibility and distribution of funds. Consumers aged 65 and over who need help paying an energy bill should contact:
Council on Aging: 513.721.1025
Clermont Senior Services: 513.536.4004
Low-income clients should identify and contact one of the following Ohio community action agencies in their area:
Adams County: 937.378.6041
Butler County: 513.868.9300
Clermont County: 513.732.2277
Clinton County: 937.382.8365
Hamilton County: 513.569.1850
Montgomery County: 937.341.5000
Warren County: 513.695.2100
Bill assistance is also available to qualifying customers through the company’s Share the Light Fund program. Duke Energy is working in partnership with the Salvation Army of Ohio and the Northern Kentucky Communications Action Commission in Kentucky to distribute the company’s relief funds. Qualifying Duke Energy customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills can receive up to a $300 annual credit on their account. For more information on eligibility guidelines and how to apply, click here.
Duke Energy offers a variety of tools and resources to help customers take control of their energy use and save money. To learn more about these programs, including text alerts to tune in and save before the bill arrives, budget billing, free usage reports and payment plans, visit duke-energy.com/SeasonalBills.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides electric service to 880,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000 square mile service area, and natural gas service to 550,000 customers in a 2,650 square mile service area. in Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is one of America’s largest energy companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and together own 50,000 megawatts of power capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electricity generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain upstream and downstream Scope 3 emissions by 2035, and 80% from electricity generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major improvements to the electricity grid and energy storage, and is exploring zero-emission energy generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2022 “World’s Most Admired Companies” and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers.” More information can be found at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center features news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy Lighting features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy at I tweetLinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Contact: Casey Kroger
Office: 513.287.1051
24-hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_CaseyK
