JEA hosts two-day forum to discuss affordability solutions for low-income customers

JACKSONVILLE, fla. — Dozens gathered at the JEA Headquarters Wednesday and Thursday for a forum to discuss solutions for low-income families.

Utility companies from across the nation, as well as consumer advocates were in attendance.

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The utility company said it wants to help customers manage utility costs during these times of inflation.

It was called the Low Income Energy Issues Forum.

Action News Jax spoke with Sheila Pressley, JEA’S Chief Customer Officer.

“We’ve been preparing for this event for several months,” Pressley said. “We’ve been a member of this collaborative of utilities across the nation trying to find programs and solutions that work best for low-income families.”

There were 70 people who attended in-person, along with 25 people who attended virtually.

Attendees represented over 100,000,000 utility customers, according to JEA.

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Individuals talked about affordability solutions, legislative matters and other topics of interest.

The event was also hosted by E Source, a national research and consulting firm.

Along with JEA, leaders from utilities across the nation shared strategies that have been successful in their communities and possible solutions for the future.

“We’re talking about weatherization and how to make homes more energy-efficient, which will mean the customer will consume less and pay less as a result of that,” Pressley said. “We’re talking about weatherization. We’re talking about partnerships with nonprofit agencies to help the customer pay their bills and help them with other services and solutions.”

In Duval County more than 30 percent of households are trying to balance rising housing costs and other essentials while trying to keep up with their utility bills, according to JEA.

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JEA has nearly one million customers. Its service area is over 900 miles.

According to JEA, recent changes the utility company made to better serve customers include:

• Hiring a host of new customer service agents, which improves responsiveness when customers call or write JEA.
• Eliminating credit and debit card convenience fees and returning security deposits sooner than ever before.
• Making it easier for customers to set up payment arrangements to pay off balances interest-free over time.
• JEA has been an active participant in the low-income working group for several years, incorporating best practices into our operating policies and practices.

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