PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Visit PG&E online here to learn more about Public Safety Power Shutoffs, how to sign up for PG&E Safety Power Shutoff Alerts, and why you and your NRG should prepare in advance.
Click here to learn where the next PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Open House will be.
Webinars are available for those who are unable to attend in person. The webinar schedule, as well as dates for future open houses, can be viewed at pge.com/wildfiresafety.
Webinars are available for those who are unable to attend in person. The webinar schedule, as well as dates for future open houses, can be viewed at pge.com/wildfiresafety.
How NRGs should prepare
1. We prepare for Public Safety Power Shutoff as a 3rd possible NRG event. If PG&E turns off the power to prevent possible power line fires, it will take PG&E 3-5 days minimum to re-energize the lines because manual inspection of all lines will be required. Large areas, potentially not in direct wildfire risk zones may be affected. Residents should prepare for 3-5 days without power.
NRGs: Steering committees need to plan policies, train block captains of additional duties and educate neighbors relying on power for life-sustaining, medical needs to prepare.
Block Captains should 1) educate neighbors in their cluster to prepare for possible PG&E planned power outages. 2) Block captains should check in on any residents who rely on power for medical equipment or refrigeration for medical supplies. 3) report to their NRG steering committee that check ins are completed.
Residents should sign up for PG&E outage alerts. Residents reliant on power for medical reasons should prepare now for alternative back up power systems for 3-5 days or make plans to stay somewhere else with power, etc.
2. Sign up for PG&E Outage Alerts. See link below to sign up for 3 Alerts: Alertmarin, Nixle and PG&E planned power outages.
NRGs: Steering committees need to plan policies, train block captains of additional duties and educate neighbors relying on power for life-sustaining, medical needs to prepare.
Block Captains should 1) educate neighbors in their cluster to prepare for possible PG&E planned power outages. 2) Block captains should check in on any residents who rely on power for medical equipment or refrigeration for medical supplies. 3) report to their NRG steering committee that check ins are completed.
Residents should sign up for PG&E outage alerts. Residents reliant on power for medical reasons should prepare now for alternative back up power systems for 3-5 days or make plans to stay somewhere else with power, etc.
2. Sign up for PG&E Outage Alerts. See link below to sign up for 3 Alerts: Alertmarin, Nixle and PG&E planned power outages.
Read the attached handouts.
Authorities want us to take PSPS or extended outages as seriously as an earthquake or wildfire event.
Authorities want us to take PSPS or extended outages as seriously as an earthquake or wildfire event.
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PG&E Post-Wildfire Resources
PG&E Gas Restoration and Relighting: Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
· Once PG&E crews have received permission from first responders to enter an area, they begin assessments of gas infrastructure.
· Assessments may begin immediately and are typically completed within 24 hours.
· The pipeline system must be purged to remove any air before natural gas is resupplied to the line and then safely delivered to homes or businesses.
· The purging process requires a site visit by a gas technician to access the gas meter.
· PG&E workers must then visit every home or business a second time to safely complete the restoration. The process involves turning the meter on, conducting safety checks and relighting pilot lights for safe operation. Customers for each location must be present for this to occur.
· Local law enforcement decides when areas may be repopulated. If you return to your property and do not have gas service, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. We will work to relight your service as quickly as possible.
ELECTRIC RESTORATION AND REPAIR
Once PG&E crews have received permission from first responders to enter an area, they begin the assess, repair and restoration process.
Ask to see PG&E identification
As a reminder, our employees carry PG&E identification and are always willing to show it to you. Ask to see valid identification before allowing anyone claiming to be a PG&E representative inside your home. If a person claiming to be a PG&E employee has identification and you still feel uncomfortable, call PG&E's customer service line at 1-800-743-5000 to verify PG&E's presence in your community.
Support for our customers
Since the start of the devastating wildfires, our primary focus has been—and continues to be—the safety and well-being of the customers and communities that have been affected. We recognize the hardships you are currently facing, and understand that billing is the last thing on your mind when dealing with disasters. To help ease your burden, we want to offer some support.
Billing support
PG&E has a comprehensive disaster billing and credit policy in place to support our customers. As part of this policy, we will take the following actions:
· Stop estimated energy usage for billing attributed to the time period when the home/unit was unoccupied as result of the emergency
· Discontinue billing for destroyed homes or businesses
· Prorate any monthly access charge or minimum charges
Credit support
We are committed to always providing you gas and electric service, regardless of your ability to pay. We will also waive all costs of starting or stopping gas and electric service and will waive any security deposit requirements.
· Flexible payment plan
· Suspend disconnection for non-payment and associated fees, waive deposit and late free requirements for residential customers
Income-qualified support
For customers that qualify, we offer additional support designed to help save money on your bill.
· Freezing all standard and high-usage reviews for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program eligibility in impacted counties.
· Medical Baseline – Provides financial assistance to customers who have special energy needs due to certain qualifying medication conditions.
Programs to assist you when you're ready
· Quick gas and electric service – To help you move quickly, we will expedite setting up your new account and if your temporary or new home doesn't already have gas and electric service, we will turn it on the next business day. Get started by calling us at 1-800-743-5000.
· Payment plan options – Once you start receiving gas and electric service again, we are offering flexible payment plans to support you during these difficult times. To set up your payment plan, call us at 1-800-743-5000.
We're here to helpIf you would like to enroll in the programs mentioned above, make payment arrangements, or if you have any questions, please call us at 1-800-743-5000 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For more information about these programs and the scope of PG&E response, restoration and rebuilding efforts can be found at pge.com/currentwildfires.
PG&E Gas Restoration and Relighting: Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
· Once PG&E crews have received permission from first responders to enter an area, they begin assessments of gas infrastructure.
· Assessments may begin immediately and are typically completed within 24 hours.
· The pipeline system must be purged to remove any air before natural gas is resupplied to the line and then safely delivered to homes or businesses.
· The purging process requires a site visit by a gas technician to access the gas meter.
· PG&E workers must then visit every home or business a second time to safely complete the restoration. The process involves turning the meter on, conducting safety checks and relighting pilot lights for safe operation. Customers for each location must be present for this to occur.
· Local law enforcement decides when areas may be repopulated. If you return to your property and do not have gas service, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. We will work to relight your service as quickly as possible.
ELECTRIC RESTORATION AND REPAIR
Once PG&E crews have received permission from first responders to enter an area, they begin the assess, repair and restoration process.
- When safe, the first step is damage assessment. Typically, this occurs in 12 to 24 hours.
- PG&E workers will be onsite to make the area safe to receive electric service.
- If a home or businesses has sustained too much damage to safety restore service, repairs will need to be completed by the customer before service is restored.
- Based on the time required to make any needed repairs, an estimated time of restoration is established and communicated to the customer.
Ask to see PG&E identification
As a reminder, our employees carry PG&E identification and are always willing to show it to you. Ask to see valid identification before allowing anyone claiming to be a PG&E representative inside your home. If a person claiming to be a PG&E employee has identification and you still feel uncomfortable, call PG&E's customer service line at 1-800-743-5000 to verify PG&E's presence in your community.
Support for our customers
Since the start of the devastating wildfires, our primary focus has been—and continues to be—the safety and well-being of the customers and communities that have been affected. We recognize the hardships you are currently facing, and understand that billing is the last thing on your mind when dealing with disasters. To help ease your burden, we want to offer some support.
Billing support
PG&E has a comprehensive disaster billing and credit policy in place to support our customers. As part of this policy, we will take the following actions:
· Stop estimated energy usage for billing attributed to the time period when the home/unit was unoccupied as result of the emergency
· Discontinue billing for destroyed homes or businesses
· Prorate any monthly access charge or minimum charges
Credit support
We are committed to always providing you gas and electric service, regardless of your ability to pay. We will also waive all costs of starting or stopping gas and electric service and will waive any security deposit requirements.
· Flexible payment plan
· Suspend disconnection for non-payment and associated fees, waive deposit and late free requirements for residential customers
Income-qualified support
For customers that qualify, we offer additional support designed to help save money on your bill.
· Freezing all standard and high-usage reviews for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program eligibility in impacted counties.
- CARE Program qualified households can save 20% or more each month on their energy bill.
- Contact all community outreach contractors, the community based organizations who assist in enrolling hard-to-reach low-income customers into CARE, in impacted counties to help better inform customers of these eligibility changes.
- Partner with the program administrator of the customer funded emergency assistance program for low-income customers and increase the assistance limit amount for the next 12 months for impacted customers.
- Indicate how the energy savings assistance program can be deployed to assist impacted customers.
- PG&E proposes to modify qualification requirements for the Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) Program by allowing residential customers to self-certify they meet income qualifications if the customer lives in the designated affected county and they meet one of the following:
- The customer states that they lost documentation necessary for income verification as a result of the disaster.
- The customer states that individuals displaced by the disaster reside in the household.
· Medical Baseline – Provides financial assistance to customers who have special energy needs due to certain qualifying medication conditions.
Programs to assist you when you're ready
· Quick gas and electric service – To help you move quickly, we will expedite setting up your new account and if your temporary or new home doesn't already have gas and electric service, we will turn it on the next business day. Get started by calling us at 1-800-743-5000.
· Payment plan options – Once you start receiving gas and electric service again, we are offering flexible payment plans to support you during these difficult times. To set up your payment plan, call us at 1-800-743-5000.
We're here to helpIf you would like to enroll in the programs mentioned above, make payment arrangements, or if you have any questions, please call us at 1-800-743-5000 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For more information about these programs and the scope of PG&E response, restoration and rebuilding efforts can be found at pge.com/currentwildfires.
