Event provides help to pay power bills

Dozens of Delmarva Power and Light customers attended an energy assistance event Feb. 11 in Georgetown, looking for help as utility bills continue to climb.

Customer service representatives helped explain energy bills and provided information on the Delmarva Power Customer Relief Fund – a $3.5 million fund created by Delmarva Power’s parent company, Exelon.

Marcus Beal, president of Delmarva Power and Light, said Exelon added $500,000 to the fund this year, providing assistance to families that meet monthly guidelines of 60% of the state median income. A family of four earning up to $6,048 per month would qualify, making them eligible for up to $300 to $500 to help pay their bills.

A table set up by nonprofit Energize Delaware offered customers an energy audit of their homes to find ways to further save money. Created with money from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative funds and other sources, Energize Delaware provides a one-hour visit to a home to find ways to make the home more energy efficient, said Drew Slater, executive director. Those who qualify can receive about $240 in energy-efficient items, including light bulbs, a shower head, a smart power strip and an air purifier.

“If you go through the program, customers are seeing an average of $100 per year in energy savings,” Slater said.

Helping customers pay their bills is something Beal said Delmarva Power began last year during its cold snap. 

“This is all about assistance for our customers,” Beal said of the event held at First State Community Action Agency. “We recognize that our logo is on that bill. We don’t generate electricity and we don’t set the price of electricity, but it is something that appears on the bill.”

Supply costs come from the energy grid and power sources, and Delmarva is seeing a 13 times increase in supply.

“That’s really driving the increase,” Beal said.

Delivery costs on the bill, however, are from Delmarva Power.

Those costs include maintenance of poles, wires, substations and transformers that bring electricity to homes. Some of the infrastructure in the electric system that dates back to 1909 needs to be replaced, and those are costs Delmarva Power pays up front, Beal said.

Delmarva Power has received recent criticism from legislators for seeking a rate increase, which would need approval from the Delaware Public Service Commission. Beal said the process has just begun and could take a year or two before their case to raise rates is heard by the commission. An average customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of usage would see about a $6 increase on their bill.

All members of the Democratic caucus, the controlling party of Delaware’s General Assembly, recently signed a letter opposing the rate increase.

Delmarva Power previously increased rates in 2022.

In the meantime, Beal said Delmarva Power is focused on helping customers get through this winter season.

“Our main focus is on reliability to make sure the heat stays on and the lights stay on,” he said.