The Source - Spring 2009 - (Page 20)

feature economy and your customers A local perspective to combating the downturn By Andy Colosimo customers and is committed to helping them weather this financial downturn. Colorado Springs Utilities believes it is important, during these tough economic times, to reach out to customers in need by educating them about the available bill-payment assistance programs. The L ast year and throughout 2009, the nation faced and will cope with the consequences of a faltering economy and the loss of countless jobs. As a municipally owned utility, Colorado Springs Utilities recognizes the hardships of our Assisting customers when they need it most is a strategic philosophy for the organization. This means offering an array of programs to serve the varied needs of the community. Colorado Springs Utilities aggressively communicates energy-efficiency tips and offers rebates on energy-efficient products to help customers reduce their bills and protect the environment. Recognizing that efficiency improvements can be costly, however, the utility partners with a local organization, Energy Resource Center, to offer The Home Efficiency Assistance Program (HEAP) to provide free energy- and waterefficiency improvements for qualifying customers. The program includes a free home audit, thorough 20 THE SOURCE | THE VOICE AND CHOICE OF PUBLIC GAS weatherization and, in some cases, new appliances or a tune-up for existing products in the home. Tapping into federal dollars is key to helping the largest amount of customers in Colorado Springs, and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grant funding was increased for this heating season. Staff members maintain close relationships with state and federal agencies as well as local non-profit organizations to facilitate information sharing during the November-to-April LIHEAP application period each year. In 2008, when

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Source - Spring 2009

The Source - Spring 2009 Contents First Person APGA Events Q&A: One-on-One with Senator Jeff Bingaman Great Malls Think Alike The Economy and Your Customers Member to Member New Technology: Saving Energy Never Felt So Good New Technology: Get Pumped! Legislative Outlook The Pipeline Advertiser.com Advertisers' Index At Last

The Source - Spring 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.