WESTFIELD – On Friday, Westfield Gas & Electric offered a reassuring reminder that for customers who are facing challenging times, WG+E would do their best to be there for them.
Lisa Stowe, WG+E marketing director said the assistance has been offered as long as anyone can remember.
What prompted the reminder was the government shutdown according to Stowe.
“We’re certainly aware that there are people in the community who are being affected. Sometimes, until you are in the position to need assistance, you might not know where to begin. We thought it was a great time to highlight what we offer to all of our customers in the community,” Stowe said.
Stowe said one way they help is to point people to the Valley Opportunity Council, which offers heating assistance to eligible low-income residents. She said an employee from the Council comes to G&E at certain times during the week to help qualify people for that assistance, which gets paid out as customers use energy.
For customers that don’t qualify for the Valley Opportunity Council, the Salvation Army’s “Good Neighbor Energy Fund” offers one-time assistance to people who are struggling to pay their bills, if they don’t qualify for federal or state programs.
WG+E is also interested in helping to set up people on a budget to level out the costs over the year, so the bills don’t get too high during the winter, Stowe said.
When people are having a hardship, Stowe said they can also set up people on a payment plan, on a case by case basis. She said it is WG+E policy to not terminate customers during the winter months from Nov. 15 to March 15.
Stowe said anyone who is struggling should contact the customer service team at WG+E at 413-572-0100. “We’ll talk to customers on a one-to-one basis, and figure out what is the best way to help them to get back on track,” she said.
