The $80 rebates that Entergy Mississippi customers are getting this month won’t be the only assistance the company provides to help with the high cost of electricity. Wednesday, it announced Operation Bill Assist, a $3.2 million shareholder-funded program which focuses mainly on low and moderate income residential customers in Attala, Leake and 43 other counties in the company’s service area. Entergy is warning that bills will remain high through the winter primarily because of the increased cost of natural gas which is used to generate much of the electricity the company provides. It says Operation Bill Assist includes the following tools customers can use to lower their bills:
- $150 bill credit for moderate-income customers. Nearly $1.1 million will fund a temporary bill payment assistance program for Mississippi customers. The focus will be on moderate-income customers who struggle to pay utility bills, but do not qualify for federal bill assistance programs. These customers would receive a one-time $150 bill credit.
- Up to $1,000 for disabled and older customers in need. More than $540,000 will provide emergency utility bill payments for one or more months to older adults and customers with disabilities facing financial hardship. These funds will also provide agencies with administrative fees to cover added expenses associated with an increased volume of requests for help.
- Free $35 energy efficiency kits. Nearly $1.1 million will pay for money-saving energy efficiency kits. Customers can get these kits at community events in Entergy’s service area this fall or can request them online at https://msentergysolutions-marketplace.com/. Available to all customers, the kits can potentially save customers $5 per month or $60 annually, and combined with Entergy’s available online tools, can save customers as much as $300 annually.
- $460,000 for customer education. This money will fund a campaign to make Entergy customers aware of additional energy-efficiency and bill help available to them. This will include outreach and assistance to low-income households on how they can apply for federal bill assistance in their area, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program known as LIHEAP.
