Search
Insights > Empowering our communities through energy equity
Empowering our communities through energy equity
04/22/2024
As we navigate today’s evolving energy landscape, it's imperative that our communities have access to clean and affordable energy. Customers are dependent on reliable electricity now more than ever to power their homes and businesses – and that dependence is only increasing as energy demand continues to grow.
At Entergy, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we recognize and embrace the pivotal role we play as a utility in promoting energy equity. With customer needs at the forefront of our efforts, we maintain utility rates that are among the lowest in the nation. This is especially important since the communities we serve include some of the highest poverty regions in the country – approximately 25% of Entergy's 3 million residential customers live at or below the poverty line.
To further improve customer affordability, we are investing in proactive solutions for our customers, fighting for every dollar of federal and state funding available, leveraging internal continuous improvement, and supporting customers directly through LIHEAP advocacy, bill payment assistance, and flexible bill-pay options.
Moreover, our employees are deeply committed to the well-being of the communities we not only serve but live in ourselves. In 2023 alone, Entergy employees volunteered over 120,000 hours valued at $3.8 million in our service areas, per our latest performance report. For example, our employees gave their time to environmental and social initiatives such as a sustainability patch program for the Girl Scouts of Southeast Louisiana, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and preparing and filing tax returns for our vulnerable customers.
Now and into the future, we envision a power grid that continues to provide reliable and affordable electricity for the communities we serve. By investing in the power grid now, we’re strengthening our energy infrastructure to protect against stronger storms while also reducing the cost of power restoration and minimizing outages for customers. Through these strategic investments, we're ensuring that our customers have affordable energy solutions now and for generations to come.
On top of safeguarding our communities’ access to reliable and affordable energy, we have set ambitious sustainability targets, including a commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, to provide our customers with clean energy. From advancing carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies to embracing renewable energy sources like solar and wind, we're leading the charge to a more sustainable tomorrow. Beyond this commitment, we enable our customers to embrace renewable energy solutions and achieve their own sustainability goals through programs like Entergy Arkansas’ Green Promise Program – by making renewable energy credits available to qualified customers at no cost, we're democratizing access to clean energy and empowering individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.
“At Entergy, our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we recognize and embrace the pivotal role we play as a utility in promoting energy equity.” – David Ellis, senior vice president and chief customer officer
Through our commitments to sustainability, customer affordability, and economic development, we're proud to be shaping a better future for our communities, where clean and affordable energy is accessible to all. We look forward to continuing to partner with community organizations, local and federal policymakers, and our customers to promote an equitable energy landscape. Together, we power life.
Learn more about our team’s commitment to serving our communities in Entergy’s most recent performance report.
