Customers of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) can save on their?energy use and lower their electric bills this winter thanks to several programs the electric utility?offers.
Eligible low-income customers can take advantage of the SMUD Energy Assistance?Program Rate (EAPR) that can save customers more than 30 percent on their entire monthly?electric bill as well as $1.50 off the $5 service charge. Customers are eligible for the discounted?rate if their total household income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For?example, a family of four can earn up to $43,200 a year to qualify for EAPR.
SMUD EAPR customers also may be eligible for the Residential Weatherization?program. Qualified customers can, at no cost to them, have their homes and apartments?weatherized to improve energy efficiency and lower energy costs. Weatherization measures?may include attic insulation, low flow showerheads, water heater blankets and pipe wrap and?compact fluorescent lights.
Customers in households where a full-time resident requires an electrically powered?device for medical reasons may take advantage of the Medical Equipment Discount (MED) rate.?The SMUD MED rate provides savings of over 30 percent on the customer’s entire monthly?electric bill.
Colder weather can also present some customers with challenges to stay warm, especially?in an economic downturn. Burning an open fire inside a home is dangerous and can be?deadly. However, this is an accepted practice in the homelands of some recent immigrants.?Information in multiple languages on safe heating practices and programs to help low-income?customers with their electric bills is available from SMUD.
The use of open fires indoors to stay warm and cook could be deadly because California?homes are very airtight unlike the open-air homes in some countries. Burning wood and?charcoal releases carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled and it can kill?people in minutes. SMUD is sharing these safety messages:
Never use an unventilated appliance like a kerosene or propane heater, stove, oven or dryer to heat your home.
Never use an unventilated fire or burn charcoal indoors.
Never use lighter fluid or gasoline to start a fire or burn painted or treated wood in the fireplace.
SMUD customers continue to pay significantly less for electricity than most Californians and about 29 percent less than customers who are supplied by neighboring PG&E.
For information about all of SMUD’s energy-saving programs and for tips on how to stay warm and safe this winter while keeping the electric bill lower, please call SMUD at 1-888-742-7683 or visit smud.org.