OCTOBER 17, 2022 (LOS ANGELES)—LADWP’s new Cool LA initiative is off to a scorching start. Nearly 500 customers purchased 606 discounted portable air conditioners in the first three and a half weeks since the initiative was launched. Through Cool LA, low income customers received $225 rebates on the purchase of each room air conditioner (AC) totaling a combined $136,350 — that’s more than double the number of AC rebates LADWP provided during the entire 2021-2022 fiscal year.
LADWP created the Cool LA initiative to meet the needs of its most vulnerable customers during hot summer months. Under Cool LA, older adults, income-restricted, and medically-vulnerable LADWP customers are eligible to receive the $225 rebate for the purchase of portable, window and room air conditioners to help keep them safe and cool during prolonged heat events that can pose serious health risk. Customers can visit www.ladwp.com/Cool-LA for information about the rebate and to access the Cool LA online marketplace to purchase qualifying ACs.
“Keeping Angelenos cool and safe by providing access to affordable air conditioners is one important way LADWP is meeting the needs of customers that have borne the burden of our fossil fuel past and been least able to cope with the impacts of climate change,” said Cynthia McClain-Hill, President of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. “Cool LA is off to a great start and we encourage every eligible customer to take advantage of this rebate. Even as temps cool, portable air conditioners purchased through the Cool LA marketplace make great gifts for elderly parents, relatives or neighbors to help them stay safe and cool during extreme heat waves.”
Customers who are not eligible for the $225 AC rebate under Cool LA, can still take advantage of a $75 rebate on room air conditioners by visiting https://marketplace.ladwp.com.
Of the 497 eligible customers who purchased an AC, 109 customers purchased and received rebates for two units, the maximum number allowed under the initiative.
Customers who purchase qualifying ACs through www.ladwp.com/Cool-LA, also do not have to wait for a rebate check or gift card in the mail. Through improvements made shortly after the program was launched, LADWP income-qualified residential electric customers can instantly receive the $225 rebate right from their Cool LA Marketplace e-cart — making buying an energy-efficient air conditioner easy and affordable.
“Removing any barriers that stand in the way of our customers taking advantage of the $225 rebate was our goal in improving upon the gift-card rebate model,” said Martin L. Adams, LADWP General Manager and Chief Engineer. “We want to provide cost-effective air conditioners to our customers — especially older adults, low-income families, and people living with disabilities—and to do so without requiring those customers to shoulder the entire up-front cost and wait for a rebate in the mail.”
As part of Cool LA, LADWP also announced a new Level Pay billing program enabling all interested customers to sign up to receive monthly utility bills issued with a set amount, calculated based on the customer’s historical usage. Level Pay is designed to help customers better budget for utility bills by “flattening out” spikes that can occur, especially during high energy-use summer months.
Based on available data from the first two weeks of Level Pay’s program launch, 304 customers have signed up to receive bills calculated at a set amount each month. Of the participants, 40% are registered for at least one of LADWP’s income-eligible discount programs. Level Pay also factors in any existing accumulated past due bills and includes them in future payments. To date, $500,000 in outstanding customer utility bill balances have been enrolled in the Level Pay program.
To sign up for Level Pay, or to learn more about the increased $225 AC rebate, visit www.ladwp.com/Cool-LA.
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