Average summer bills for residential customers in June and July will be further reduced by nearly $6 per month as a result of a temporary adjustment to the Demand Side Management (DSM) surcharge.

These net bill decreases are related to changes in three surcharges.听 The largest change will be a reduction to the Purchased Power and Fuel Adjustment Charge (PPFAC). The PPFAC is adjusted annually to allow recovery of changing energy costs, which are passed along without markup.

The charge was increased last year to recover higher energy costs from previous years, including some that were deferred to support customers during the coronavirus pandemic. Those costs have since been recovered, allowing the PPFAC to be reset as a credit of less than one cent per kilowatt hour (kWh) beginning next month.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) approved that change yesterday along with updates to two other energy charges. The DSM surcharge will be temporarily reduced to return unspent and uncommitted energy efficiency funds.听 Additionally, the Renewable Energy Standard Tariff (REST) will increase to better align surcharge collections with actual clean energy expenses.听 The table below summarizes the three adjustments.听 The bill impacts shown below are for a typical customer rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount. Actual bill impacts will vary by customer depending on their energy usage.

• PPFAC decrease: $12
• REST increase: $2
• DSM surcharge decrease June and July: $6
• Total bill decrease June and July: $16
• Total bill decrease thereafter: $10

鈥淭his is welcome news as we enter a season when hotter weather typically leads to higher bills,鈥� said Susan Gray, 抖奶视频鈥檚 President and Chief Executive Officer. 鈥淲e understand the importance of keeping our rates affordable, so we鈥檙e pleased to pass along these savings now to help reduce that traditional summer bill impact.鈥�

抖奶视频 is continuously seeking ways to reduce the energy costs passed along to customers. Most recently:

• 抖奶视频鈥檚 intervention in a major transmission provider鈥檚 rate case resulted in a settlement agreement that is expected to reduce costs for our customers.听 The agreement is subject to the approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is expected to address the matter later this year.
• 抖奶视频 has joined 25 other western entities in supporting the continued development of Markets+, a new energy market with an anticipated launch date in early 2027. The market is expected to make wholesale energy more affordable while supporting system reliability and increased clean energy use.

Although 抖奶视频 customers will be paying lower energy costs this summer as a result of the surcharge changes, increased energy usage will still result in higher overall bills.

抖奶视频 offers many ways to help customers manage their energy expenses, including energy efficiency options and billing programs.

Consider a new pricing plan or payment program:听翱耻谤听Budget Billing听program levels out seasonal swings in monthly bills so you can pay the same amount year-round. We鈥檒l divide your estimated annual charges into 12 equal monthly payments. Discounted rates and emergency bill payment assistance also are available to eligible limited-income customers.

You also might explore alternate听pricing plans, including time-of-use rates that offer discounts for usage during off-peak hours. We also offer plans that pair reduced energy charges with a 鈥渄emand鈥� charge based on your highest on-peak energy use. These plans reward customers who can limit their concurrent use of large appliances during on-peak hours.

Customers with flexibility to adjust when and how they use energy could find opportunities to reduce their monthly energy bills.听See which plan might be right for you with our Pricing Planner tool, which provides forecasts based on your past 12 months of energy usage.

Explore ways to save energy:听Improving energy efficiency听not only lowers your energy bills, it improves the comfort and quality of life for you and your family. Simple lifestyle modifications can make a big difference, especially if you an conserve energy during times of peak usage.

Cooling your home in the summer, for example, can be one of your largest energy expenses. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends setting your thermostat at 78 degrees in the summer and using fans to help you feel cooler. Through our Efficient Home program, we offer rebates for air conditioning tune-ups and also for replacements if you鈥檙e air conditioner just won鈥檛 make it through another summer.

Find out if you qualify for payment assistance:听We offer monthly听low-income discounts to qualifying customers. We can also help you learn how to apply for agency assistance and can assist with payment plans if you鈥檙e falling behind.

After a recent upgrade, the software we use to log energy use occasionally applied off-peak usage to on-peak periods to some customers鈥� bills by mistake. This happened for seven weeks, from mid-December 2023 to early February 2024, until the error was identified and resolved.

Most customers were not affected by this error. After a thorough review of usage data, we determined that about 4,100 of 抖奶视频鈥檚 447,000 customers may have experienced discrepancies of about 1 percent from their regular usage.

As part of our commitment to accurate billing, we re-billed all potentially misbilled usage at our lower, off-peak rates and assumed a 鈥渮ero鈥� demand for those periods. This will result in a credit that, in most cases, will be less than $10 for residential customers.

抖奶视频 is notifying affected residential customers through bill messages, emails and letters. We鈥檙e also contacting medium and large commercial customers impacted by this issue.

We鈥檙e committed to fair and accurate billing and apologize for any inconvenience this incident has caused. Affected customers will see the credit on their next bill.

Budget Billing divides the cost of your estimated annual usage into 12 equal payments, with periodic adjustments if your usage varies. Three customers shared why they signed up for Budget Billing and how it cools down their summer bills.

Dennis Nowik

When he lived in the Midwest, Dennis Nowik visited Tucson at least twice a year, including once to get married in the chapel at DeGrazia鈥檚 Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Road.

But it wasn鈥檛 until he retired to Tucson in 2017 that he realized how summer electric bills can creep up. That first summer bill approached $300 for his three-bedroom, foothills-area house.

鈥淚 learned real quick,鈥� Nowik said.

Nowik promptly made the switch to 抖奶视频鈥檚 Budget Billing program so that he and his wife could pay the same amount each month. He has been a happier customer ever since.

鈥淵ou鈥檇 have these peaks and valleys. I like a controlled budget. I like having a consistent pay out every month. It makes for better planning,鈥� Nowik said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no shock value when we do the budget.鈥�

He also has taken steps to save energy. The couple installed fans on their high ceilings, replaced canned lights with LEDs and installed a smart thermostat. 鈥淭hese seem like minor things, but they all add up. I don鈥檛 notice any difference of the quality of life. It鈥檚 good because, ecologically, you want to think of those things.鈥�

Previously, Nowik鈥檚 energy bills were higher in the winter. 鈥淚鈥檝e dealt with other companies for electricity in Chicago and Madison (Wis.) . There鈥檚 a certain sense of compassion that 抖奶视频 has for its client base,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t makes a difference.鈥�

Paul Smith

Living in Tucson on and off his entire life, Paul Smith knows how brutal Tucson summers can be 鈥� and how they can drive up electric bills.

So, it was an easy decision to join 抖奶视频鈥檚 Budget Billing program when he and his wife, Nancy, moved into their midtown house in summer 2013. They also participate in our Auto Pay program, which deducts their monthly payment automatically from their bank account.

鈥淛ust to make it easier, as we pay the same all year round. You always know what it鈥檚 going to be,鈥� Smith said.

Smith was born in Tucson, moved away when he joined the military, came back to work for Pima Community College, then spent time in Washington state before settling here for retirement.

The couple are conscious about their energy usage at their electrically heated home. In the winter, they set their thermostat to 62 degrees overnight and at 69 during the daytime. Many of their lights are LEDs.

Their Budget Billing payment is recalculated each year to reflect their actual annual usage. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 fluctuate much and it has dropped, and gone back up again. But you know what it鈥檚 going to be. You don鈥檛 have to worry about it going up. It just makes it easy, especially if you are on a fixed income.鈥�

He recommends it to other customers: 鈥淚t makes it easy to do your budgeting.鈥�

Laurel Wadley

Laurel Wadley describes herself as a 鈥渃razy budget person,鈥� creating graphs and detailed notes in her checkbook to make sure she keeps track of her bank account.

抖奶视频鈥檚 Budget Billing program gives her peace of mind.

Before she moved to Tucson, Wadley and her husband were on a similar program with their Salt Lake City electric provider. The couple, who celebrated their 46^th anniversary this year, relocated to Tucson in 2012 to live close to their daughter and only grandchild, who is now almost 16. They signed up for Budget Billing when they started their 抖奶视频 service.

鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 logical to have the bill the same every month so I can budget better,鈥� Wadley said.

In a four-bedroom house on the northwest side, Wadley and her husband have made investments to save energy. They鈥檝e upgraded their HVAC system, installed new windows with film that blocks the heat, and added a programmable thermostat. They turn on the thermostat鈥檚 鈥渧acation mode鈥� when they are away. Laundry is limited to three loads a week.

Wadley said she is a 鈥渧ery analytical person,鈥� so her meticulous budgeting helps her plan. Auto Pay helps, too, by automatically deducting her bill from her account.

鈥淚 always know that I鈥檒l have money to pay a bill. I plan ahead for it,鈥� said Wadley, about her budgeting plan. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to think about the electric bill much.鈥�

Ready to sign up? Find more information about Budget Billing and join now.

We鈥檙e modernizing our call center phone system over the next several years to offer more user-friendly features and services to serve you better.

One of the first things you鈥檒l likely notice is a new voice and new greeting prompts as we transition to a new Interactive Virtual Response (IVR) system to help you reach the right person or department more quickly.

Our new IVR system will allow customers to:

• Chat with us from the 鈥淐ontact Us鈥� page at tep.com
• Request a payment extension
• Request that a text message be sent when a power outage is resolved
• Select Spanish as their preferred language for automated prompts and responses

鈥淭his new system provides a solid foundation to propel us into the future,鈥� said Tashonda Betts, Manager of 抖奶视频鈥檚 Customer Care Center. 鈥淥ur IVR system will offer robust features to help customers quickly reach the right person or department, communicate with us in more ways and manage their account with self-service options.鈥�

The new system will provide call center agents with additional and real-time data to better serve customers and help us manage call volumes and resources, Betts said. It replaced a system that offered fewer features and was costly and difficult to maintain.

Rick knew these plans allow significant savings for customers who shift their usage to off-peak times. Even so, he has been pleasantly surprised by the amount of money he鈥檚 saved since switching to the new plans himself: more than $2,000 over five years.

Like most people, Rick and his wife were using 抖奶视频鈥檚 Basic pricing plan, which charges the same rate per kilowatt hour regardless of when energy is used. They switched to the TOU plan in early 2015 and then, 听in late 2017, changed to the Demand TOU plan.

Both plans charge more for energy used during peak usage periods but significantly less throughout the rest of the day. That discount offers an opportunity for real savings, and Rick took full advantage of it.

鈥淚鈥檝e been keeping track of my monthly bills to calculate what I would have paid on the Basic plan and what I鈥檝e saved. I also monitor my energy usage online,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e saved about $2,150 over five years using the Demand TOU rate when compared to the Basic pricing plan, and about $1,600 when compared to TOU.鈥� He鈥檚 saved about $28 per month, or about $330 annually, after moving from TOU to Demand TOU.

抖奶视频 offers four residential pricing plans: Basic, TOU, Peak Demand and Demand TOU. While the Basic plan is designed to be simple, the other plans more accurately reflect the cost of providing electric service by incorporating two key factors: When energy is used, and how much is used at once.

Timing is Everything

The true cost of service varies significantly throughout the day based on the simple, familiar rule of supply and demand. 抖奶视频 incurs much higher costs to provide power during the hours when most customers use the most energy. The opposite is also true 鈥� energy is much cheaper when there鈥檚 less demand for it.

Our Time of Use plans reflect this reality by charging more during peak usage periods and less during the rest of the day. On the TOU and Demand TOU plans, customers who shift their energy usage to off-peak hours can lower their bills by making greater use of discounted energy. Reducing overall usage allows even greater savings.

鈥淚f a customer is not ready to try either the Peak Demand or Demand TOU rate plans, they should take a look at our residential TOU rate plan. They may be able to save money on their monthly bills with relatively few behavioral changes and no loss of comfort or convenience.鈥�

Energy on Demand

抖奶视频 must build and maintain an energy grid that鈥檚 robust enough to satisfy customers鈥� greatest energy needs 鈥� even if those needs don鈥檛 last very long. A 鈥渄emand鈥� charge is designed to recover those costs more accurately by billing customers for their highest hourly energy use during on-peak periods. That, in turn, allows lower rates for energy use.

Our Demand TOU pricing plan offers our lowest rates for off-peak usage but higher rates during on-peak hours. Our Peak Demand plan offers flat usage-based rates that are lower than the Basic rate. Both plans also include a 鈥渄emand鈥� charge, but that name sounds scarier than it really is, Rick said.

鈥淭here is a fear about the higher demand rates charged during on-peak hours that needs to be overcome,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you can get over that fear and make a few behavioral adjustments, you will be just fine. You are paying a demand charge, but your energy rate is cut by almost half.鈥�

Because on-peak hours are limited to weekdays, weekends are an ideal time to do chores that use a lot of energy, such as laundry, without concern about driving up your demand charge.

Customers using TOU and demand plans can save the most money by limiting energy use during on-peak hours, which include weekdays between 6-9 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. from October through April and weekdays between 3-7 p.m. from May through September. To explore our pricing plans and find one that鈥檚 best for your energy usage, use our pricing planner tool.

Lower Usage, Lower Bills

Besides changing plans, Rick also was mindful about how he used energy and made some adjustments, especially during on-peak hours:

• Replaced all incandescent lights with LED bulbs
• Avoids using larger appliances and smaller electric appliances 鈥� such as hair dryers and toaster ovens 鈥� during on-peak hours
• Installed a smart thermostat and programmed it to align with TOU hours
• Upgraded his major appliances with ENERGY STAR庐 certified models
• Pre-cools the home during off-peak hours in hotter months and then raises the thermostat to 80 during on-peak hours
• Uses ceiling fans to make it feel cooler indoors during the summer
• Replaced his single-speed pool pump with a high efficiency variable-speed pool pump, which is programmed to run during off-peak hours

鈥淥ur home is about 20 years old, but thankfully it is well insulated,鈥� Rick said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been able to make behavioral changes because it鈥檚 just my wife and me in the home. It would be more challenging for families on demand pricing plans because everyone in the household would need to be on the same page, but it can be done.鈥�

Customers can log into their 抖奶视频 account to use online tools, such as My Energy Usage to review their monthly, daily and hourly use, or see which rates might be a good fit for them by checking out the Pricing Planner.

鈥淐ustomers having more information about their energy usage is a good thing,鈥� Rick said. 鈥淪electing the right pricing plan and keeping track of where you are midway through the month can help you lower your energy costs.鈥�

鈥淥ur Customer Care team is always looking for ways to delight and surprise our customers with the best possible service when they contact us. We鈥檙e adjusting how we serve customers to be more responsive to their needs and resolve issues the first time they call us,鈥� said Tashonda Betts, Manager of the Customer Contact Center. 鈥淲e also want to speak with one voice so that customers receive the same consistent, accurate information no matter who they speak with.鈥�

That鈥檚 no easy task, considering that 抖奶视频 has nearly 100 Customer Service Representatives (CSRs), including permanent and temporary or seasonal employees. The team fields more than two million calls every year. 听Besides answering incoming calls, CSRs also reply to more than 100,000 emails or letters each year, help respond to social media inquiries after business hours, and handle emergency calls during evenings and weekends.

One of the ways that Customer Care is working to meet customer expectations is by ensuring that most CSRs 鈥� both permanent and seasonal 鈥� are trained on every aspect of our company and account management. Previously, only permanent CSRs received comprehensive training.听 Now, even some seasonal CSRs complete the intensive eight-week training program.

The training covers a wide range of topics: 听placing service orders, billing and payments, setting up new accounts, pricing plans, energy efficiency programs and payment assistance, to name a few.听 They also learn to navigate our customer service software efficiently, allowing them to quickly find the information they need.

鈥淲e want to ensure we help the customer on their first contact 鈥� one and done,鈥� Betts said. 鈥淥ur CSRs learn everything they need to know from beginning to end to do that.鈥� A few specialized CSRs handle more in-depth questions about residential solar projects and energy efficiency.

Empathy also plays a big part in stellar customer service.听 鈥淲e always try to put ourselves in the customer鈥檚 shoes and observe the Golden Rule of treating others how we want to be treated,鈥� Betts said. 鈥淯nderstanding the customer鈥檚 circumstances goes long ways toward building trust and loyalty.鈥�

To ensure adequate resources are available during peak call times, 抖奶视频 monitors call volumes and adjusts staffing levels as needed. For example, Betts said, summer historically has been the call center鈥檚 busiest time of year due to higher bills and outages caused by monsoon storms. But the suspension of service disconnections for non-payment during the summer has shifted demand. 鈥淣ow, our higher call volume is during November through May, so we ramp up our staffing levels beginning in September.鈥�

Another way we鈥檙e working to improve service is by using customers鈥� input to adapt our programs and services or develop new initiatives. To meet customers鈥� expectations, 抖奶视频 plans to update some of our systems and offer new features that will make interacting and communicating with us easier and more convenient.

鈥淥ur customer-centric approach is at the heart of providing excellent customer care,鈥� Betts concluded. 鈥淲e want to be proactive and predictive at meeting their needs. Everything we do is driven by our desire to best serve our customers.鈥�

Our Special Plans Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) specialize in administering several assistance programs, including 抖奶视频鈥檚 Lifeline program.

The five-member team, along with Business Process Analyst Edie Anderson, also processes emergency bill payment assistance provided by dozens of community agencies statewide and manages Budget Billing enrollments.

During the pandemic, the team鈥檚 workload increased significantly. Not only are more customers requesting financial help, but more qualify for monthly discounts from our company as a result of expanded eligibility. Additional federal funding also has been made available for utility bill assistance.

In 2020, the team processed 6,000 assistance payments totaling $3.8 million. This year, the number of applications increased to 18,000 and totaled more than $10.1 million through November.

鈥淥ur team is small, but they鈥檝e done an outstanding job of keeping up with the increase in requests for bill payment assistance,鈥� said Eileen Jacobson, Manager of Customer Programs and Services, who oversees the team. 鈥淭hey work very well together as a team.鈥�

When customers contact a community agency to request bill payment assistance, the agency verifies their eligibility and then contacts our company to confirm the funding amount. The Special Plans team then processes the paperwork to ensure the correct payment amount is credited to customers鈥� accounts.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just one function they perform in addition to supporting several other programs,鈥� Eileen said.

The team processes applications for 抖奶视频鈥檚 Lifeline program. This program gives eligible low-income electric customers a monthly discount on their energy bills. The CSRs verify customer eligibility, enter them into our system and recertify customers annually.

Additionally, the CSRs ensure that charitable donations to 抖奶视频鈥檚 Help with Emergency Energy Relief Operation (HEERO) funds are distributed to local agencies.

Finally, the Special Plans team supports customers who have enrolled in Budget Billing, a program that divides your annual energy costs into 12 equal payments so that you pay the same amount each month, making it easier to budget. The team adjusts the monthly amount annually if customers are under or over their budgeted amount, based on actual energy usage.

鈥淲hile many other agencies have hired more people to handle the higher demand for assistance, we鈥檙e always conscious about keeping costs as low as we can, so we鈥檝e kept the same level of staffing to process customer assistance,鈥� Eileen said. 鈥淥ur team has really stepped up to the challenge, and I鈥檓 incredibly proud of their work to ensure struggling customers get the help they need.鈥�

Special Plans CSR Diana Watahomigie, who has worked at our company for 15 years, said she is proud of how her team has pulled together. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much need right now and it can be stressful and challenging, but we鈥檙e all very close as coworkers and friends. We come up with a game plan every day and all share in the workload.鈥�

Every year, hundreds of 抖奶视频 customers report being targeted by scammers. Most frequently, customers report receiving a phone call from someone who claims to be a 抖奶视频 employee and threatens to disconnect service for unpaid bills or damaged electric meters. However, scammers will also use text messages, registered letters and face-to-face visits while trying to take advantage of you.

Scammers often instruct customers to make payment over the phone with a pre-paid money card within a short amount of time 鈥� often an hour or less 鈥� to avoid shutoff. Callers may sound angry or use an urgent tone of voice to pressure customers into making a payment. Scammers also use software that disguises phone calls or text messages to make them appear as if they鈥檙e coming from 抖奶视频 or a government agency. Other tactics used by scammers include:

• Promoting participation in solar programs and other customer offerings that do not exist. Details about 抖奶视频鈥檚 current solar programs are available at com/gosolartep.
• Instructing customers to bring a money order or cashier鈥檚 check to a specific location, or to pay in bitcoin.
• Claiming customers have overpaid their utility bills and requesting personal bank account information or a credit card number to facilitate a refund.

抖奶视频 never uses high-pressure tactics to collect payment. Customers can follow a few simple steps to protect themselves:

Hang up, click 鈥榙elete鈥� or shut the door. Customers who suspect they are targets of a scam should just hang up the phone, delete suspicious emails and text messages or shut the door on suspicious visitors. Customers concerned for their physical safety should call 911. 抖奶视频 only contacts customers by phone with automated bill payment reminders as a courtesy, and never demands immediate payment.

Don鈥檛 follow scammers鈥� instructions to buy prepaid cards. 抖奶视频 never urges customers to pay monthly bills with prepaid money cards. A list of legitimate payment methods, including payment online and through 抖奶视频鈥檚 mobile app, is available at tep.com/pay-my-bill.

Contact 抖奶视频, not the scammers. Customers with questions about their bill or concerns about scams are welcome to contact 抖奶视频鈥檚 Customer Care team by dialing (520) 623-7711 鈥� the number listed on their monthly bill and tep.com. Don鈥檛 simply tap the number to return the call, or call other phone numbers provided by scammers. Customers also can check their account status at any time at tep.com or on 抖奶视频鈥檚 mobile app.

Recurring safety inspections and routine maintenance performed by our employees require access to electric meters, service lines and other equipment on customer property. Our employees must safely be able to reach this equipment to properly assess its condition and perform work. Here鈥檚 how customers can identify 抖奶视频 employees working near their home or business.

• Look for the 抖奶视频 logo on the employee鈥檚 clothing, safety equipment and vehicle.
• Ask to see the employee鈥檚 identification. All employees are required to show their ID badge when asked.
• Call 抖奶视频 directly at 520-623-7711 to verify the employee鈥檚 identity and reason for work in the area.

抖奶视频 provides safe, reliable electric service to more than 433,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. 抖奶视频 and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. (NYSE: FTS), which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. For more information, visit fortisinc.com.

News Media Contact:
Joseph Barrios
(520) 884-3725
jbarrios@tep.com

The Arizona Department of Economic Security is partnering with 抖奶视频 and other utilities to distribute the funding, which can be used to pay past due utility bills for income-eligible renters impacted by the pandemic. The funds were provided through the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program included in a March 2021 federal pandemic relief package.

抖奶视频 and sister company UniSource Energy Services have promoted the program broadly through emails, newsletters, social media, bill inserts, letters home, direct phone calls and information shared through partnering agencies.

But as our Customer Care team watched applications come in, they realized they鈥檇 have to take a step further to reach those most in need. 鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 answer their phone and they don鈥檛 open email. So we started brainstorming the avenues we could pursue to reach them,鈥� recalled Cathy Bradley, who is leading the project

Enter the 鈥渨arrior knockers.鈥�

Since October, 抖奶视频 employees have visited apartment complexes where many residents have fallen behind on their electric bills. The employees travel in pairs, wear face coverings, keep physical distance and never enter residences.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win all around. It doesn鈥檛 happen very often when you get to knock on a door and offer a solution to someone who is down and out,鈥� Bradley said.

Customer Care Supervisor Maria Sherfield has seen tears well up in customers鈥� eyes. She鈥檚 seen the worried faces of children in the background soften with their parents鈥� reassurance that help is coming. 鈥淵es, it may be tiring, and I might huff and puff going up all those stairs, but there鈥檚 nothing else that compares to that feeling that says, 鈥業 am out here doing the right thing and making a difference for someone else.鈥欌��

鈥淚t fills me with pride to work for a company that goes above and beyond to make sure our customers get help when they need it the most.鈥�

Customer Advocate Michele Estavillo, who leads the employee-led low-income task force, said the outreach effort added a new dimension to her connection with customers.

In one of her outings in early January, a woman answered the door, reluctantly, believing the team was there to cut her service. Instead, Estavillo told her federal funding might be available to help. The woman, a single mother, began crying.

Another customer, a man who said he hadn鈥檛 been able to get a job in more than a year, was being evicted the next day. Estavillo helped him get signed up for emergency rental assistance.

鈥淚t makes your heart feel good when you can help someone,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 know about the resources that are available to them. This is the best way to show that we care about our customers. We鈥檙e not some big utility company in a big building looking at numbers and dollars. That鈥檚 not who we are.鈥�

Exo Roast Co.听pivoted from a coffee shop early in the pandemic to a home grocery service, and even delivered coffee by bicycle. They reopened with strict safety protocols, only to be heavily impacted by the massive Downtown Links road construction project.

They called 抖奶视频 for help, under an intense deadline to get a meter in place for the looming inspection of a new location. Anderson reached out to Scheduling Coordinator Natalie Nava and Field Technician Jesus 鈥淐huy鈥� Figueroa, who was covering for Dakotah 鈥淜oty鈥� McGullam. The teams took a look at the work order, determined that the job could be done without negative impact to others in the queue, and with the help of Scheduling Coordinator Amie Lillie, got it done.

Exo owners William and Amy Smith, and Chris Byrne, detailed their experience in a letter to 抖奶视频:

鈥溾��.As a “mom and pop” business, we know that it also takes moms and pops to run utility听companies. We know it takes a person on the other end of the line, to hear your story, to meet you where听you are at and at the end of the day, to 鈥榞et it鈥� just like you do.

We recently were met with such understanding and kindness from 抖奶视频 when we were under a deadline to convert and upgrade an old adobe in a new location to more power as our current location undergoes some pretty听intense nearby road construction. With supply chain challenges, local labor shortages and sundry other delays and hiccups, we thought a 抖奶视频 concern would come last on the list and would take months!听To make matters worse, our needs were most acute during the holiday season!

But no. At the end of a very short wait on the phone was Natalie who promptly put in a work order. At the end, (maybe even before the end?) of his vacation time off, Koty called us back to confirm inspection Chuy had made in Koty’s stead. The crew came out on the RAINIEST day of the year, three days after Christmas, and hooked our power up without so much as a shrug.

In these times, I think we could all use more 鈥榳e’re in this together鈥� to move beyond bumper stickers and internet memes. It was refreshing to realize that at the end of the day, caring humans are here to help us all get back to work. We are beyond grateful for the work from 抖奶视频 to help us do just that. It warmed our hearts and actually gave us a lot of hope in the humanity that powers us all.鈥�

Anderson was touched by the letter.

鈥淚t was such a powerful reminder of how our work affects the lives of our customers and community, and how inspiring it is to see our values come to life,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淭he work the team did for those small business owners, though standard for us, meant a lot to them. They called, and 抖奶视频 was here to answer.鈥�