Utility assistance from Westar Energy

Payment arrangements, Project DESERVE, and other utility bill assistance programs are offered by Westar Energy in Kansas. Find how to apply, and where to call, in order to get assistance.

Call customer service to explore Payment Arrangements and Extension. Westar accounts with a past due balance may qualify for this service. However your account can only be unpaid for up to 30 days, so if you owe money further back then that then you may not be eligible for assistance.

If you are found to be qualified, you may be offered a 12-Month Payment Agreement. So you will be required to pay 1/12 of the outstanding balance on your account, and the agreement will not be effective until you make the first payment on your Westar Energy bill. The amount due each month is 1/12 of the account balance + current monthly bill.

In order to learn more, you need to call customer service at Westar. To main the program, all payments on your utility bills must be in the full amount indicated on the bill, and they need to be paid in time by the due date.

Westar Energy Project DESERVE can help struggling customers with paying their utility bills and other expenses. Non-profit organizations and for profit businesses are working together in Kansas to administer and fund Project DESERVE. It is a unique program, and the first of its kind in the country. Not only is this assistance program a success in its own right, but it also has served as the role model for similar utility bill assistance programs around the nation.

Donations are the main ways that Project DESERVE operates, and the tax deductible donations come from Westar Energy employees, the Westar Energy Foundation, and customers of all backgrounds. Contributions also come directly from the Project DESERVE Trust Fund.

 

 

 

 

Assistance from Project DESERVE can offer financial assistance to Westar customers in two main ways. The resource can helps pay the Westar Energy electric bills of older adults and seniors (people 60 years or older) as well as assist people with a severe disability (children or adults meeting Social Security disability criteria) and others who are struggling. Read more.

In addition to those services indicated above, additional disbursements from a $1 million company contribution to the Project DESERVE Trust Fund are used to provide assistance and to help fund a part of this assistance program. Qualified low income, senior, or disabled households may receive one-time annual cash grant payment of up to $100 to be applied toward their Westar Energy electric bills. The American Red Cross determines eligibility to the program based on household income. The contribution was made possible through a settlement agreement between Williams Gas Pipelines Central, Inc. as well as Westar Energy. the settlement gave in effect a substantial sum of money to Westar Energy, which was paid from a refund of ad valorem taxes collected several years ago.

Westar Energy can be reached in Kansas at 1-800-544-4857. Please call them to learn about this financial assistance program as well as other resources that can be provided to low income individuals and families.