September 30, 2016—When it comes to customer outreach, Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) takes a somewhat different approach. Each year, PWP offers positions to students from Outward Bound Adventures (OBA) to perform door-to-door outreach for PWP and SoCal Gas in the Pasadena area. The students, after some training and with the help of an assigned mentor, inform residents about water conservation and energy savings programs that may be available to them and answer any questions those residents may have.
PWP energy assistance programs include the Energy Utility Assistance Program (EUAP), Pasadena Cares, Pasadena Cares Plus, and the Medical Assistance programs, all of which provide monthly bill credits. PWP also offers Project A.P.P.L.E. (Assisting Pasadena People with Limited Emergencies), which provides a one-time bill credit of up to $100 per year to each eligible household. Eligibility is determined by income, except in the case of the Medical Assistance rate program, which is focused on helping keep energy costs down for necessary medical equipment in households.
SoCal Gas offers an Energy Savings Assistance Program that provides no-cost energy efficiency measures to income and/or categorically-qualified renters and homeowners. These measures can include installation of LED light bulbs, attic insulation, water heater blankets, furnace and water heater repair or replacement, caulking, weather stripping, and so on.
Students participate in the outreach efforts through OBA’s Careers in Conservation Program. The program focuses on giving inner-city high school students real world training to prepare them for further employment and includes other opportunities such as environmental restoration and land management.
Overall, OBA’s mission statement, according to its website, is to “provide meaningful nature-based education that promotes positive self-development, environmental responsibility and outdoor career exposure for urban youth.” According to PWP, this door-to-door canvasing has been found to be an effective form of outreach.
Sources: News Release, PWP and OBA websites
