Gulf Power Florida Project Share utility bill assistance

One of the main utility bill programs available to customers of Gulf Power in Florida is the Project Share service, which is funded by generous donations, volunteers, and even employees of Gulf Power. There is money raised by the community to pay for Project Share, and 100% of those funds go to help pay energy bills of the less fortunate.

There will be emergency one time funds for low income families, senior citizens who live on a fixed or limited income, the disabled, single moms or dads and many others. All of the applicants need to be threatened with a short term financial hardship that is causing them to fall behind on their utility bills. When applying for energy bill help from Gulf Power Project Share, be prepared with proof of income, copies of utility bills, details on total income from all household members, identification, and other documentation.

Applications are screened in various steps. There will be help in this process from social service agencies, such as the Salvation Army or a regional community action agency. Customer support staff from Gulf Power can also be used in approving, or allocating, funds for paying utility bills from Project Share. The goal of this entire process is to ensure the money gets to the most deserving, and since it is 100% based on donations, the funds for paying utility bills need to be effectively used.

Terms and conditions of Gulf Power Project Share

First and foremost, the program is limited in scope. In general, applications need to have an income (based on household members) that is similar to LIHEAP grants. In addition, they need to have received financial help for their energy bills from LIHEAP and/or other assistance programs first. Only then may one of the donations from Project Share be able to assist the applicant.

 

 

Cash will not be paid out. Instead, if/when approved for Gulf Power Project Share, the assistance will be given in the form of a credit on the customer’s monthly bill. The amount they owe will be what the bill was less the credit (which is a donation from the public). The net will be due to the company, often within a defined period of time.

The help from Gulf Power Project Share is often combined with many other forms of support too. As just a few examples, the customer service team may enroll the customer into a payment plan which gives them a little more time to catch up on their utility bills. In addition to that, there will be tests done to determine if the customer’s home is wasting energy by leakage. There will be free conservation measures/upgrades made to the house, or apartment, information on regional charities, and much more.

As noted, the Florida Gulf Power Project Share program has two goals. One is to help pay utility bills, and the other is to allow members of the community the ability to give back by donations. For more information on either aspect of this, dial 1-800-225-5797 or contact a social service agency.