Duke Energy Adding $600,000 to Program That Will Help Additional South Carolina Families Pay High Seasonal Energy Bills
GREENVILLE, S.C., September 5, 2018 /3BL Media/ -- For 33 years, Duke Energy has partnered with employees and customers to lend a hand to those struggling to pay their energy bills. The company is reinforcing that commitment with an additional $600,000 contribution to its Share the Warmth program to help South Carolina customers pay their high seasonal energy bills.
Through the Share the Warmth program, the company works with more than 80 local agencies in the Duke Energy Carolinas service territory to aid qualified senior citizens, families and other customers with financial assistance. The company annually matches up to $500,000 in employee and customer contributions during the heating season.
"We are committed to providing affordable energy to all of our customers, but we know some struggle to keep their homes warm during the winter and cool during the summer," said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, Duke Energy's South Carolina president. "Traditionally, more customers have sought assistance with high energy bills in the winter, but these funds are being made available now to also assist with high summer energy bills."
The program is administered through local partner agencies in the Duke Energy Carolinas service territory, which primarily serves customers in the Upstate of South Carolina. Since the program's establishment in 1985, it has provided more than $35 million to those in need. Duke Energy offers similar energy assistance programs across all of its service territories.
"We are very thankful for our 30 year partnership with Duke Energy," said Kristi King-Brock, the executive director for AIM, a Share the Warmth partner agency in Anderson, S.C. "Their continued support of our work – and the infusion of these much needed funds – will allow AIM to respond to the basic needs of even more families in our community by providing energy assistance."
"Each winter, families in poverty have to try to balance their meager budgets between feeding their families and keeping them warm as temperatures drop," said Traci Kennedy, director of TOTAL Ministries, a Share the Warmth partner agency in Spartanburg, S.C. "With these funds, Spartanburg families can keep warm and feed their families in the colder months."
About Share the Warmth
Share the Warmth was established to assist Carolinas residents in need with high seasonal energy bills and is funded by its customers, employees and the Duke Energy Foundation. Contributions are matched dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000.
Funding for Share the Warmth comes from our customers, employees and the Duke Energy Foundation. Customers may donate by the postage paid envelope or paperless billing customers may donate online when paying their bill. The Duke Energy Foundation will then match up to $500,000 in customer contributions during the heating season.
The additional funds to the Share the Warmth program were provided following commitments made to South Carolina in briefings to the Public Service Commission and in coordination with the Office of Regulatory Staff within the context of the 2016 Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas merger.
Duke Energy Carolinas
Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 19,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to about 2.5 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Duke Energy Carolinas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.
The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.
A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
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