With 1.5 million customers throughout Sacramento and its surrounding areas, SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District) – the nation’s 6th-largest community-owned electric company – is on the front lines of the battle to help millions of struggling Californians keep the power on, not only during the Covid-19 crisis, but beyond when shut-off moratoriums expire in the coming summer months. A longtime supporter of energy assistance initiatives, including LIHEAP and their Energy Assistance Program Rate, which has an annual budget of upward of $30 million and over 75,000 customers enrolled and rising, Residential & Assistance Delivery Manager Kim Rikalo, took time out to talk about the current climate amid the Coronavirus shut-down and vital importance of LIHEAP and related energy-assistance programs to help their local community:
LIHEAP.org: During this current Covid-19 Virus economic and social shutdown, has your organization seen LIHEAP make a difference in helping struggling households and communities?
Kim Rikalo: LIHEAP is always helpful and provides great support for our vulnerable communities. Shelter in place order in our county, so no in person appointments. Appointments are being done virtually over the phone, faxes or web applications. We are actually seeing a decrease in commitments from our LiHEAP administrator due to the “no disconnection policies” put in place by both the electric (SMUD) and gas utilities (PG&E) in the area.
According to the commitment data (dollars committed to the utility), our numbers are down in comparison to previous months or previous years. When chatting with our LiHEAP organization as I mentioned previously. These customers are worried about day to day activities right now and because their accounts are not in danger of being disconnected their bills are continuing to accumulate.
LIHEAP.org: How damaging would it be to your efforts in the community if LIHEAP's funding were dipped into in order to try and pay for competing priorities?
Kim Rikalo: This would be a huge hit to our community. The utility can only do so much and as we see our assistance (low income discount programs) increase. There are never enough funds to go around and our communities are being impacted like never before. Our communities needs us now more than ever and need our support.
Reporting by J.B.
Sources:
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/affordable-energy-whole-community