Without PUC approval, Duquesne Light cannot turn off your electric supply during the winter months (December 1 to March 31). A unique payment arrangement may be possible depending on your income.
Is it possible to pay for Duquesne Light with a credit card?
By calling 412-393-7100, you can pay with your debit or credit card. Through Speedpay’s network, you can pay with your debit or credit card, your phone, or by texting.
Is Duquesne Light turning off the power?
PITTSBURGH
Duquesne Light Company (DLC) is extending its discontinuance of shutoffs and waiving late penalties until at least June 1, 2020, to lessen the burden placed on consumers as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
What is the procedure for transferring my Duquesne Light service?
You must tell DLC of your intended move by visiting the Change of Service website or calling 412-393-7100 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
When are they not allowed to switch off your electricity in Pennsylvania?
Termination in the Winter If you fail to be a responsible utility customer and your household’s income exceeds 250 percent of the federal poverty level (for customers of the Philadelphia Water Department), your utility service can be shut off without the PUC’s prior approval during the winter months (December 1 through March 31).
How far behind schedule is Duquesne Light?
If the “Budget Amount Due” is not paid by the date specified (“Late Charge After) on your Duquesne Light statement, you will be charged a 1.25 percent late payment fee.
What is the procedure for obtaining my Duquesne Light account number?
Simply dial 412-393-7100 and listen to the teleprompts. Use your phone pad to input your account number or telephone number to gain access to your account (and to protect your personal information).
On my bank statement, what is Speedpay?
Q: What is Speedpay and how does it work? A: Speedpay is a third-party provider that offers FPB customers electronic payment services. Customers can pay their bills whenever and however they choose with this service, using their checking account, Visa, MasterCard, or debit (ATM) card.
Is it possible to turn off utilities in Pennsylvania during Covid?
This isn’t an April Fool’s joke.
Under state regulations that ease a moratorium on winter shutoffs, utility companies across Pennsylvania can begin cutting off services for delinquent clients as early as Monday.
“There are still a significant number of at-risk residential and business customers,” said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, “even though the number of accounts in arrears has continued to improve since peaking during the height of the covid pandemic.” Between December 1 and March 31, the PUC enables utilities to terminate income-qualified households only if they acquire special permission, such as in situations of fraud or meter tampering.
Although low-income customers can have their service turned off for failing to pay their heating and electric bills as early as April 1, the PUC does not allow shut-offs on Fridays.
According to Katherine Scholl, the company’s director of billing and revenue management, Duquesne Light has around 95,000 customers who are overdue on their bills and are in danger of losing electricity. When deciding which business and residential customers will be switched off, the utility normally considers the amount owing and the length of time in arrears, she added.
According to Todd Meyers, a spokesman for Greensburg-based West Penn Power, the firm has “tens of thousands of residential customers who are overdue on their bills and are in danger of being disconnected.” Many consumers on the verge of losing electricity to their homes may be helped by contacting the firm for help and working out a payment plan, he said.
According to a Universal Service Programs & Collections Performance report submitted with the PUC, there are slightly more West Penn Power customers with financial problems than there were in 2020, when 60,000 of the utility’s 600,000 residential customers were in debt.
Terminations were dramatically reduced in the covid-restricted year of 2020, according to the same report. According to the report, none of the four utilities cut off service to low-income customers with a household income of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty limit that year.
According to Barry Kukovich, a company spokesman, Peoples Gas Co. has about the same number of customers that may have their natural gas service disrupted as in prior years.
The number of Columbia Gas customers facing termination is unknown, according to the company.
“Terminating service is always a last step,” said Lee Gierczynski, a Columbia representative, adding that the consumer can contact Columbia for possible bill payment assistance.
Before turning off service, the PUC has a series of rules for utilities to follow, including mailing a letter to the customer and attempting to contact them by phone, according to Gierczynski.
Customers who were overdue on their accounts received letters in February alerting them that their service could be turned off, according to Duquesne Light’s Scholl.