Southern California Edison outlines customer protections, assistance programs and PSPS planning
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Summary
Edison representative Erin Thomas briefed council on scam warnings, customer-assistance programs (CARE, FERA, LIHEAP, Energy Savings Assistance), medical baseline provisions, and PSPS planning for high fire risk communities; staff and council discussed summer discount and smart-thermostat incentives.
A Southern California Edison representative briefed the Palm Desert City Council on customer protections, energy-assistance programs and public-safety power shutoff (PSPS) planning.
Erin Thomas, government relations manager and tribal liaison for Southern California Edison, told the council "we do not disconnect" and warned customers about scammers posing as utility collectors. Thomas outlined customer programs including CARE and FERA (income-qualified rate discounts), LIHEAP, an Energy Savings Assistance Program, an arrearage management plan and a medical baseline allowance that provides additional kilowatt-hours for customers who rely on medical devices.
Thomas described new outage mapping and PSPS classification for some high-fire-risk areas near Palm Desert and noted Edison has a consolidated outage map and community resource plans, including mobile crews and planned community resource centers for PSPS events. She promoted a Feb. 10 "power talk" event in the council chamber and encouraged residents to use online tools and enrollment links for assistance and efficiency programs.
Council members asked several technical and rate questions (including thermostat set points that participate in demand-response programs and whether summer-discount savings are annual or seasonal); Thomas answered that some incentives provide summer-month credits and described the general rate-case process as the driver of utility rate changes.
