Aug 24, 2020 2 min read

With the moratorium on utility shutoffs set to expire next month, FirstEnergy has asked customers who are behind on bills to reach out to the company now.

“We understand many customers are in a difficult financial situation because of the pandemic,” said Michelle Henry, vice president of customer service at FirstEnergy. “Customers who have lost income during this crisis may be eligible for assistance that was unavailable to them before, but some of those programs might not be available later, when overdue balances must be addressed.”

The moratorium is tied to Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 disaster proclamation, which is set to expire Sept. 2. The power company has extended its shutoff grace period until Sept. 15.

The company has asked customers who are behind on bills to contact customer service to enroll in a payment plan or to learn about bill assistance programs.

These programs may include forgiveness of all or part of a customer’s overdue balance, helping them to avoid a large bill that would otherwise be due when the temporary suspension on shutoffs ends.

Other needs-based funds are also available to assist customers.

To apply for or learn more about bill assistance programs, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/billassist, or call 800-545-7741.

FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania utilities, including West Penn Power, also have established a customer service team dedicated to assisting business and commercial customers.

Representatives can also provide information on programs or set up payment arrangements. The West Penn contact number is 1-800-736-3404.

West Penn serves approximately 720,000 customers within 10,400 square miles of central and Southwestern Pennsylvania.