Relay • Summer 2020 • Utilities Help Communities During COVID-19

While many utility customers may not think about their utility company unless the lights flicker, FMEA member utility companies spend a good amount of their time and strategic planning determining how they can better meet customers’ needs. At no time has that become more vital as Florida battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently, we reached out to several member utilities to find out what they are doing to help customers during this time.

What are the three biggest things your utility is doing to address the unique challenges COVID-19 is presenting?

Gina Kyle, JEA, Media Relations: To assist our customers, the JEA Board approved a $27 million fuel credit, which will result in an average $25 credit applied to May invoices. We have also suspended disconnects for both electric and water services, temporarily lifted late fees and removed credit card convenience fees for a period of six months for customers paying with Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

Tim Trudell, Orlando Utilities Commission Senior Media Relations Coordinator: OUC has been very aggressive in helping customers. Beginning March 13, we suspended disconnects for electric and water customers, including prepaid ones. Since March 16, we have waived late fees as well. On April 14, OUC commissioners approved a sweeping $12.1 million customer relief package. The plan provides immediate bill relief for May’s electric statements, infuses $2.6 million in United Way’s Project CARE utility assistance program, sends $1.5 million to help small businesses pay their utility bills and incentivizes enrollment in our prepaid utility program. We are providing greater flexibility with pay plans and deferral arrangements. We continue to look for new ways to assist in this trying time to support our customers and the community.

Steve Langley, City of Mount Dora, Electric Utility Director: Making sure the power stays on while protecting our employees by isolating the crews while on duty. Reducing electric rates to ease the financial burden. Suspending disconnects, which we have not announced to the public.

Julio J. Torrado, Keys Energy Services, Director of Human Resources and Communications: Ensuring our employees are able to perform their essential duties while staying safe and healthy. Providing rate relief to customers in the form of rate reductions and suspension of late fees and service disconnections for non-payment. Maintaining the reliability of power at a time when customers are captive in their homes and dependent on reliable power more than ever.

James Barnes, City of Tallahassee, Chief Customer Officer: Offering customers the ability to defer either March, April or May utility bill[s] until September and spread that payment out over a six-month period. Suspending all non-pay disconnects of utility services from March 12 through May 12. Offering a one-month 25 percent utility reduction on the May utility bill.

Allen Putnam, Beaches Energy Director: Ensuring the safety of our customers, employees and their families by complying with all CDC guidelines related to reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This includes maintaining social distancing by allowing all employees who could to work remotely. It also includes placing employees on permanent non-changing shifts so that they could be isolated from other employees, especially in our control center. This includes providing the proper PPE to include antiseptic wipes, gloves, masks, hand sanitizer, etc. Ramping up the purchase and deployment of technology to allow Beaches Energy meetings to be held with outside parties via the web rather than face-to-face meetings. Reducing the bulk power cost for April and May to $0 to help all of our customers. This results in an average reduction of 21 percent for a residential customer who consumes 1,000 kWh and much more for customers who consume more.

Steve Kennedy, City of Green Cove Springs City Manager: We split up our distribution crews to address the potential of if one person gets infected, it could possibly result in our entire electric team being unavailable for work and meeting customer needs. We waived our BPCA for the April billings and used stabilization funds to accomplish this action. We used conservation funds available through FMPA to provide bill payment support to those electric customers specifically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who otherwise were regular and current on their payments prior to the virus.

How have you communicated this to customers and what has their response been? Have they brought any concerns to you?

Kyle: We have used traditional media, social media, emails, bill messages, etc. We had one customer inquire about why we didn’t include American Express when we lifted the convenience fee, but we haven’t received anything additional. FYI, JEA has gone to almost 100 percent work from home, including most of our customer service personnel. Of course, we have our employees in the field that can’t work from home. To assist them, we have created social distancing signs that ask that customers not approach them but call into customer service instead with any questions. We are proud of how quickly we were able to transition to work from home and have no interruption in how we service our community.

Trudell: We expect additional concerns the longer the pandemic lasts. That’s why we have provided the $12.1 million package which we expect will help customers throughout the year.

We are providing energy and water efficiency information and virtual audits to help customers conserve while at home.

Langley: We have communicated the rate reduction on the website and at council meeting. It was in the newspaper as well. We have not communicated the suspension of disconnects.

Torrado: We’ve used traditional communication channels of print and radio, as well as via our social media network. Additional targeted communications, including letters and text messages, are occurring with customers depending on the status of their delinquent bill to ensure they are aware of the options available to them so they are not burdened with a larger debt in a few months’ time. We have added a COVID-19 splash page to our website which is regularly updated.

Barnes: We have used social media, local news and press release. The public response has been overwhelmingly positive. The public appreciated the fact that we are responsive even before they ask.

Putnam: We have communicated [changes] to our customers. The greatest response we received was related to the bulk power cost elimination. We have had few concerns — mostly small businesses requesting that we do more.

Kennedy: We used our city website, our Facebook and other social media options to convey [information] to our customers. It was also mentioned at a city council meeting and was provided to the other news outlets in our area. We have not received any specific responses to these actions and there have been not significant concerns brought to our attention.