Margaret Guerra said she had no power Friday when CPS cut hers off before the freeze.
SAN ANTONIO — The winter weather means higher energy costs to heat homes and some are struggling to keep up with their bills.
Margaret Guerra said she had no power Friday when CPS cut hers off due to non-payment. Guerra said she lost her job in august and has struggled since.
Guerra was able to find help to pay her bill but worries about those who are still in need.
“I have a sick baby…I have my 1-year-old grandson, and I said we don’t need him to be cold like this,” Guerra said.
But she said CPS Energy wouldn’t budge.
They told her she had to have $500 to get her electricity back on. She knew it had to be paid but with temperatures below freezing expected the next day she couldn’t understand how they could shut her energy off.
Her family scraped together the money to get the power back on so she stayed warm when the temperature dropped to 27 degrees the next morning.
CPS Energy sent KENS 5 this statement:
Per our Terms and Conditions, CPS Energy will not discontinue or disconnect service of a residential customer on a weekend day or during an extreme weather emergency.
An extreme weather emergency during winter is a period when the previous day’s highest temperature did not exceed 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the next 24 hours according to the nearest National Weather Service (NWS) reports.
CPS Energy encourages any customer in need of assistance to call and speak to our Energy Advisors at 210-353-2222. CPS Energy has multiple billing assistance programs such as affordability discount programs, senior discounts and waivers, Residential Energy Assistance Partnership (REAP) utility assistance, free home weatherization, rebates for energy efficiency and other payment plans.
They have REAP Utility Assistance. The application is online along with qualifications.
“Our goal is to assist about 50 households a week.” President of SAMMinistries, Nikisha Baker, said.
Baker said a portal opens every Sunday at midnight and closes within four hours.
“We make a pledge to pay them and pay them within the next 7 to 10 business days… On average we provide $750 per household.”