Company expands winter reconnection program and unlocks security deposits for customers and businesses
TORONTO – April 25, 2017– Hydro One announced today additional changes to its customer-facing policies. The Company is expanding the successes of its winter reconnection program launched this past December to provide relief measures for customers that accumulated significant balances on their accounts over the winter months.
“We are changing the way we do business with our customers and working hard at becoming a trusted service provider,” said Ferio Pugliese, Executive Vice President, Customer Care and Corporate Affairs, Hydro One. “Last year we committed to reviewing our customer-facing policies and making changes to ensure all customers are treated fairly and getting greater value for the services we provide. We will continue to work at delivering on that promise.”
The changes to Hydro One’s customer-facing policies include:
- Eliminating residential security deposits
- Reducing our deposit requirements for businesses
- New customer relief measures to help our most vulnerable customers that are at risk of disconnection
- Doubling the funding to the United Way’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program
- Extending our winter moratorium until June 1, 2017
The relief measures for the Company’s most vulnerable customers will include: home energy audits, enrolment in all available financial and conservation programs, programmable thermostats and flexible payment arrangements. These measures aim to help customers better manage their electricity usage to get back on track and avoid any future disruption to their electricity service.
The Company is also putting value back into the hands of its customers by eliminating all residential security deposits, returning existing deposits and reducing deposit requirements for businesses. To help Hydro One’s most vulnerable customers the company will also contribute an additional $2.2 million to the United Way for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program.
The Company has publicly committed to a more customer-focused approach, to better listen and act on customer concerns. Earlier this year 28 Hydro One senior executives – including Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO, Hydro One – joined the Customer Call Centre team to speak directly with more than 800 customers, answer questions, get feedback and commit to action.
Hydro One has also been examining its business and focusing on efficiencies, keeping costs down and delivery rates affordable. To help customers dealing with acute hardship, Hydro One introduced the Winter Relief Program in December 2016, an initiative to get the lights – and in some cases heat – back on in time for winter for hundreds of customers who had been disconnected earlier in the year.
To learn more, visit www.hydroone.com/fliptheswitch.
About Hydro One Inc.:
Hydro One Inc. is a fully owned subsidiary of Hydro One Limited, Ontario’s largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with more than 1.3 million valued customers, $25 billion in assets and annual revenues of over $6.5 billion. Our team of 5,500 skilled and dedicated employees proudly and safely serves suburban, rural and remote communities across Ontario through our 30,000 circuit km high-voltage transmission and 123,000 circuit km primary distribution networks. Hydro One is committed to the communities we serve, and has been rated as the top utility in Canada for its corporate citizenship, sustainability, and diversity initiatives. We are one of only four utility companies in Canada to achieve the Sustainable Energy Company designation from the Canadian Electrical Association. We also provide advanced broadband telecommunications services on a wholesale basis utilizing our extensive fibre optic network. Hydro One Limited’s common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: H). For more information about everything Hydro One, please visit www.HydroOne.com.
