SAN DIEGO — San Diego Gas & Electric responded Thursday morning to growing outrage over skyrocketing January SDG&E bills.
SDG&E told CBS 8 there was more than $10 million available in federal funding to help San Diegans pay their bills - expressly set aside for low-income residents and people who are significantly behind on their SDG&E bill.
"We get people are opening their January bill, and some are struggling. We want those individuals to know we care and are in this together. You don't have to feel alone," said Anthony Wagner, a spokesperson for SDG&E.
Wagner urged SDG&E customers to apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as about $7 million of the allocated federal funding would expire by June if it went unused.
Residents could qualify for the amount based on several factors, such as income, household size, and the past-due or unpaid balance. For example, a family of four would only qualify for assistance if it makes less than $62,000 a year.
According to SDG&E, over the past year, it has worked with two local nonprofit organizations to help process $5.5 million in LIHEAP payments to offset the overdue balances of about 7,200 customers.
Wagner also said if people are behind on their bills, contact SDG&E, and a payment plan can be worked out.
The push to apply for the assistance comes just days after outraged consumers protested at the steps of SDG&E headquarters.
Monday, some San Diego City Council members said they want the California Public Utilities Commission to take a closer look at what happened in January.
Also this week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced he wants the federal government to investigate the high cost of natural gas.
CBS 8 asked if SDG&E can guarantee customers won't see a spike in their bills as they did in January ever again.
"I think that's a fair question," said Wagner. "This spike was directly attributed to the market. SDG&E does not control the market. The market is supply and demand."
According to Wagner, 25 percent of its customers are behind in paying their energy bills. That figure was taken in December and didn't include the January bills. However, Wagner said he doesn't believe that figure will change much, even with January included.
Wagner said SDG&E is not shutting off anyone's power right now. He said the company hadn't done that since March 2020.
Council Member Joe La Cava released the following statement Tuesday:
“At last month’s Environment Committee, I joined my council colleagues in investigating the reasons behind the doubling of natural gas prices and why SDG&E did not employ industry-standard mechanisms to protect ratepayers in a volatile energy market. Other investor-owned utilities employed stockpiling, rate stabilization reserves, hedging purchases, and reducing their profits to protect ratepayers.
The Committee’s investigations revealed that SDG&E faced the choice of protecting San Diego families or shareholders with no proactive measures in place. They chose shareholders and passed along the high rates to the public. While the extraordinary gas rates are behind us, today we still have no answers; there is no protection for San Diegans under the current structure to prevent this from happening again. The Environment Committee started the conversation, I urge Governor Newsom and the California Public Utilities Commission to use their authority and investigative powers to finish the conversation and ensure the public is protected going forward.”
For more information on how to apply for the LIHEAP program, click here.
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