ComEd Donates $300,000 for Special Holiday Assistance to Help Senior Citizens Pay Their Electric Bill

Published: December 2, 2014

CHICAGO (Dec. 2, 2014) – This holiday season, ComEd is giving the gift of energy by dedicating more than $300,000 through a special “Senior Giving” hardship fund created to help senior citizens who have fallen behind on paying their electric bill. Now through Dec. 25, or while funds are available, ComEd will pay up to $1,500 towards eligible customer’s past due balance.

The “Senior Giving” hardship fund is part of ComEd’s CARE program, which offers a range of financial assistance to help qualifying customers pay their electric bills.

“We understand customers sometimes struggle to make ends meet and we want to do all we can to help, especially during the holiday season,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customer Operations, ComEd. “By providing this special financial assistance fund, we are able to help customers who are experiencing a hardship, such as a recent illness or job loss, but may not qualify for other federal or state-sponsored assistance programs.”

To qualify for the “Senior Giving” hardship fund, customers must be over the age of 60 with a past due balance, have not received a Residential Special hardship within the last two years, have no unpaid tampering charges, and are not on a Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP).

Customers can apply by visiting their local LIHEAP office and providing their driver’s license or state ID for proof of age, social security card and a recent ComEd bill showing the past due balance. The name on the bill must be listed on the account as the primary or secondary customer. For a list of local LIHEAP Agencies, customers can visit ComEd.com/CARE or call 877-411-9276.

The company also offers gift certificates that can be used to help a friend or family member pay their electric bill. Gift certificates can be purchased in denominations of $10, $25, $50 and $100 online at ComEd.com/CARE, by phone at (888) 784-5262 weekdays from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., or by visiting one of ComEd's participating, retail bank locations. For a complete list of retail bank locations, visit ComEd.com/CARE.

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Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.