Press release from Indiana Michigan Power:
Indiana Michigan Power partners with Community Agencies to provide energy assistance in Indiana and Michigan
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is partnering with community action agencies in both Indiana and Michigan this year to administer the Energy Share program, which distributes funds to qualifying low-income customers to help them pay their electric utility bills. The program is now in its sixth year.
Primary support for the program comes from a $125,000 contribution from I&M, with additional support from customers who may wish to help.
“Energy Share is about a partnership between I&M, our customers, and the community organizations that help people in need,” says Paul Chodak, I&M president and chief operating officer. Nearly 3,470 customers benefited from Energy Share during the first five years.
“Equally gratifying was the participation of nearly 1,500 I&M customers, who contributed more than $45,600 to extend benefits to additional customers in need,” said Chodak.
“Although we’ve seen a turn for the better with the economy, there is a need in our communities for assistance,” says Ed Gerardot, executive director of the Indiana Community Action Association. “We are excited about this partnership with I&M to address the energy needs of the people we serve.”
“Energy bills are challenging for almost all of us,” adds Arthur Fenrick, executive director of the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency in Benton Harbor, Mich. “But that’s particularly true for low-income households who need help with their energy costs.” Anyone who would like to support the program can send tax-deductible donations directly to IN-CAA Energy Share, Indiana Community Action Association, 1845 West 18th St., Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, and serves more than 580,000 customers in Indiana and Michigan. It operates 3,595 MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,110 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, and 22 MW of hydro generation in both states.
I&M is a unit of American Electric Power (AEP), which is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana Michigan Power Website
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