Struggling to afford your WPS energy bill? Weigh in at Green Bay public input session

Wisconsin Public Service Corp. customers can weigh in on their utility's current low income energy assistance programs and suggest alternatives during two upcoming input sessions in Green Bay.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will host sessions for WPS customers from noon to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 12 in meeting rooms 1 and 2 of the Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine St., in Green Bay. Customers can attend virtually via Zoom, too.

WPS, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, provides electricity to more than 461,000 customers and natural gas to 340,000 customers primarily in the Green Bay, Oshkosh and Wausau areas.

What's on the agenda?

The meetings will kick off the discussion of existing programs that help customers who struggle with their electricity and natural gas bills, as well as alternatives which could be implemented. The PSC wants to hear first-hand perspectives from customers who struggle to afford their bills, how effective existing programs are and alternatives to be considered, including a percentage of income payment pilot, a different approach to energy bill assistance.

The agenda includes a brief background explainer from PSC staff, a presentation on how a Percentage of Income Payment Program works, a period of open discussion and questions, a listening session and a discussion of next steps.

Joe Fontaine, the administrator of the PSC's Division of Digital Access, Consumer and Environmental Affairs, said PSC staff will use the input gathered at the sessions and through written comments as a resource to inform the discussions it is facilitating between the utilities and other parties on proposals for new low-income assistance programs and expansion or improvement of existing programs.

WPS will be there to listen

Matthew Cullen, WPS spokesperson, said the utility the Green Bay input sessions were ordered by the PSC and that the utility looks forward to participating. He said WPS has no plans, ideas or specific proposals developed.

Instead, he said the utility staff will participate, listen to customers and develop alternatives based on direction from the PSC.

Listening sessions' roots go back to last year's rate increase requests

In its December decision to approve modified WPS and We Energies rate adjustment requests, the Public Service Commission directed WPS to work with the Citizens Utility Board, commission staff and other groups to explore alternative ways the utilities could help low-income customers afford their energy bills.

The rate increases led some Milwaukee neighborhoods in January to start pushing for a referendum on utility competition in the state.

One option the PSC specified be considered is a percentage of income payment pilot. Such a program caps a household's energy bill at or below 5% or 6% of their monthly income. Such programs have been implemented in other states and Xcel Energy has proposed a similar program for its western Wisconsin customers.

Separately, the PSC also opened dockets to review We Energies' and WPS' Low-Income Forgiveness Tool, with an eye toward reviewing enrollment, qualifications for participation and the utilities' $600 down payment requirement for reconnecting service that was cut off for non-payment.

'Everyone's facing the squeeze'

The hearings come at a time when utility bills have continued to increase, putting more pressure on more household budgets. Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin (CUB), an advocate group for residential utility customers, said utility customers across the state shared their struggles at prior public hearings on utility rate increases.

He expects more of the same at the June 12 sessions in Green Bay.

"Everyone's facing the squeeze — seniors, single moms," Content said. "This is a chance for people to weigh in and just talk about where the existing programs aren't fulfilling their needs."

Content said the customer input sessions have an added benefit of starting the conversation instead of customers responding to proposals from utilities.

"It's a bottom-up process," Content said.  "This makes all the sense in the world. The more we get people to weigh in on something, the more we’ll come up with a solution that meets peoples’ needs."

What assistance is currently available to help WPS customers pay their utility bills?

There are several utility, state and federal energy assistance programs available to help customers right now.

The state-administered Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) provides regular and crisis assistance to households the earn 60% of the state's median income, currently $32,100 for an individual, $41,981 for a family of two, and $61,738 for a family of four. Wisconsin Home Energy Plus Benefits Programs, which includes WHEAP, provided assistance to more than 197,000 households between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

Cullen said Wisconsin Public Service has donated $4 million to the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund, a nonprofit that provides preventative services and financial assistance to low-income families to avoid energy-related emergencies during the cold winter and hot summer months.

WPS also extended availability of its Low-Income Forgiveness Tool (LIFT) with the PSC's approval, Cullen said.

Utilities including WPS also contributes $15 million each year to Focus on Energy, which provides households energy efficient fixtures such as shower heads, LED light bulbs to reduce energy use. It also provides rebates for large energy saving projects such as efficient furnaces or home solar panels.

Renewable energy: Inflation Reduction Act could bring a boom in solar, energy-saving incentives to Wisconsin for homeowners. Here's what you need to know

Want to attend Green Bay events? Register in advance to speak or join virtually

The PSC asks anyone who plans to attend either of the sessions in Green Bay to register online by June 9.

Here's the link to register for the Noon to 2 p.m. Green Bay session and here's the link to register for the 5:30-7:30 p.m. Green Bay session.

The events will be streamed via Zoom for those customers who cannot make it to any of the sessions, but still want to listen to the discussion.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay hearing seeks WPS customers' input on energy bill struggles