National Grid Arrears Management

NARUC

July 13, 2014

Territory – Large and Diverse

Strategy Main Components

Consumer Advocacy

Low Income Programs

Proactive Outreach & Education

Storm Restoration Efforts

Community Partnerships

Low Income Programs NY - Upstate

Program Description / Eligibility Funding

Care and Share

Eligible customers must meet the income guidelines of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and can apply once they have exhausted all HEAP assistance available.

$250,000 from National Grid

Employee and Customer contributions

Administered by HeartShare

AffordAbility (LICAP) Program

Customer must have received HEAP in the past 14 months

Have NOT previously been on Affordability in the past 2 years

Demonstrated inability to pay their bill

Customer receives a basic monthly deferral rate of 5% or 7.5% deferred from their average monthly bill amount

$30 monthly arrears forgiveness credit

Recovered in Rates

Low Income $10.50 Gas Credit Program Must have received HEAP in the past 14 months

Must be a Gas Customer or Gas & Electric Recovered in Rates

Low Income Electric Credit Program

$15 Credit Heating Customers

$5 Credit Non-Heating Customers

Must have received HEAP in the past 14 months

Must be an Electric Customer Recovered in Rates

Low Income Programs NY - Downstate

Program Description / Eligibility Funding

Neighborhood Heating Fund

Eligibility

Resident of Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island

HEAP eligible

$200 grant per year

$150,000 from National Grid

Employee and Customer contributions

Administered by Heart Share

On Track

Participation is up to 18 months

Eligible to receive up to $400 in allowances

Available to the first 2,400 Customers who qualify

Heating account customer with gross income of 250% or less of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

A one or two family residence with arrears greater than $400

Must be able to maintain both a Level payment Plan and an affordable DPA

Recovered in Rates

KEDNY Residential Rate

$3.00 discount in the minimum charge for residential non-heating customers

$10.50 discount in the minimum charge for residential heating customers

Seasonal winter discount of 55% in the second rate block (November – April)

Automatic enrollment with receipt of HEAP

Eligible to 70,000 customers

Provide proof of current enrollment in one of the following programs:

Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Home Energy Assistance Program, Veteran’s Disability Pension, Veteran’s Surviving Spouse Pension, Child Health Plus

Recovered in Rates

Low Income Programs NY – Long Island

Program Description / Eligibility Funding

Project Warmth Fuel Fund

Eligibility

Resident of Nassau or Suffolk County or the Rockaways

Customer must have termination notice or

Financially unable to secure heating fuel of any type

$400 for oil, gas, electric heat, wood, etc.

$100 for LIPA Fuel Related Electricity

Opens December 1st

Last heating season distributed $525,073 to 1370 families

$150,000 from National Grid

Charitable Foundations and Corporate Sponsors and Residents of Long Island

Administered by United Way of Long Island

On Track

Participation is up to 18 months

Eligible to receive up to $400 in allowances

Available to the first 1,000 Customers who qualify Recovered in Rates

KEDLI Residential Rate

$7.48 discount in the minimum charge for residential non-heating customers

$16.36 discount in the minimum charge for residential heating customers

Seasonal winter discount of 55% in the second rate block (November – April)

Eligible to 30,000 customers

Provide proof of current enrollment in one of the following programs:

Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Home Energy Assistance Program, Veteran’s Disability Pension, Veteran’s Surviving Spouse Pension, Child Health Plus

Recovered in Rates

Low Income Emergency Relief

Low Income Discount Program

110,753 customers received a one time $20 credit on their May bill, for a total of $2,215,060

AffordAbility Program 

 3,913 customers received a one time $250 arrears forgiveness credit, for a total of $978,250

Care and Share Program

 3,000 customers received an emergency grant of $250. Combined with the regular heating season, over 5,000 customers have received over $1M in Care

and Share grants.

Consumer Advocates

The Advocacy Team Initiatives Focus on the Most Vulnerable Customers

Serious medical condition

Disability

Those struggling with an inability to pay their bill:

Defaulted payment agreements

Facing termination of services

Loss of service

Elderly

Unemployed / Underemployed

Veterans

Low Income

The Advocacy Team Initiatives Focus on the Most Vulnerable Customers

Serious medical condition

Disability

Those struggling with an inability to pay their bill:

Defaulted payment agreements

Facing termination of services

Loss of service

Elderly

Unemployed / Underemployed

Veterans

Low Income

Lending a helping hand, the Consumer Advocacy Team goes the extra mile to help those in need.

Advocate Role in the Community

Veterans Campaigns

Customer Assistance EXPO

Newest Initiative – Life Can be Hard but finding assistance shouldn’t be

Purpose to provide a our low income customers a way to connect with the resources they need, all under one roof in one day

Customer Assistance EXPO

EXPO was held June 5th in the SUNY Educational Opportunity Center in Syracuse

In addition to our 4 consumer advocates, 18 vendors from the non-profit and government sector were available to provide information and assistance to low income customers.

Total attendance 300+

Advocates assisted 150 customers, plus 111 requests for call backs

Vendors included: DSS Social Services, HEAP, NYS PSC Outreach Division, Catholic Charities, SNAP, PEACE, Workforce for New York, EmPower, Office for the Aging and the Food Bank.

Planning other EXPO events in Albany, Utica, Canton and Buffalo

Customer Assistance EXPO

Customers beyond grateful, many in tears of gratitude as they found the help they needed with National Grid bills, our low income programs, food stamps, energy efficiency programs, rental assistance, and much more

Customer Comments:

"This was wonderful, when are you doing it again?"

"I didn't know National Grid had such nice people to talk to"

"You guys are truly angels for wanting to help people"

"Thank you so much for all the help"

"You really do have people who care"

HEAP OutreachNational Grid HEAP Outreach 2013-2014 Season

New York - Upstate New York - Downstate Long Island

Disconnect Notice Insert

Inserted with notice throughout HEAP Season

Outbound Calling Campaigns

November

All HEAP Eligible Customers

Emergency HEAP Calls - January

Customers with Shut Off Notices

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Contact Center On hold message highlighting HEAP

LIHEAP Winter Ad

November

Financial Assistance Brochure

NYC Residential Customers

November Bill Insert

Outbound Calling Campaign

November

All HEAP Eligible Customers

Emergency HEAP Calls - January

Customers with Shut Off Notices

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Contact Center On hold message highlighting HEAP

LIHEAP Winter Ad

November

Financial Assistance Brochure

Final Notice Insert through HEAP Season

Outbound Calling Campaign

November

All HEAP Eligible Customers

Emergency HEAP Calls - January

Customers with Shut Off Notices

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Contact Center On hold message highlighting HEAP

LIHEAP Winter Ad

November