News Release > Entergy partners with United Way to distribute bill credits to customers

Entergy partners with United Way to distribute bill credits to customers

08/09/2022

Qualifying customers to receive $150 bill credit

NEW ORLEANS – Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana have committed nearly $4.4 million to Louisiana United Ways for bill payment assistance for residential customers. Funding has been allocated to Louisiana from the $10 million in shareholder donations previously announced by Entergy Corporation.

Beginning Aug. 17, qualifying customers in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Washington parishes will be able to apply for a one-time $150 credit on their utility bill through the United Way of Southeast Louisiana at www.unitedwaysela.org. Additional local United Ways across Louisiana will open their application process shortly. 

To qualify, customers must have a total household income of up to 250% of the federal poverty level, which equates to $69,000 for a family of four. Customers are encouraged to visit www.entergy.com/answers for the most up-to-date information on bill assistance. 

Along with the $4.4 million pledge, a $425,000 supplemental donation will be made to Entergy’s The Power to Care program to help low-income older adults and customers with disabilities in Louisiana with their bills. The supplemental donation to The Power to Care is in addition to $1.4 million that has already been donated to The Power to Care for low-income older adults and customers with disabilities in Louisiana.

In addition to a supplemental donation for The Power Care, grants totaling $450,000 will be made to local nonprofits throughout Louisiana. Information regarding those organizations will be provided once they are selected.

“By partnering with the United Way, we are reaching additional customers who may not qualify for other assistance programs,” said Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans president and CEO. “Aligning with our community partners is the best way we know how to ensure these funds go where they're needed the most.”

“We know these are difficult times for our communities," said Phillip May, Entergy Louisiana president and CEO. "We want to ensure we're doing everything we can to lessen the burden our customers may be facing when they receive their bills."

Additional customer assistance

For Entergy Louisiana customers: Convenience fees for payments made to third-party vendors will be credited back to residential customers' accounts through November. To be eligible for the late fee credits, customers will need to verify their household income being less than $40,000. The process for customers to verify is being finalized.

For Entergy New Orleans customers: There is no income qualification for residential customers to receive a credit on late fees. The credit for late fees, effective June 1, will be applied automatically to customer accounts. Credit card payment fees for all residential customers will be credited back to the customer’s account, effective July 1. Customers will receive credits for late fees and credit card fees through Nov. 1. In addition, there is a moratorium on disconnects for nonpayment until Nov. 1, 2022. If a customer has received a disconnect notice they can disregard that; however, customers are encouraged to set up payment arrangements to avoid large balances accumulating on their accounts. 

Customers can receive incentives for installing energy efficient upgrades through the Entergy Solutions program for Entergy Louisiana customers and the Energy Smart program for Entergy New Orleans customers. Examples of eligible energy efficiency upgrades available at little to no cost include LED bulbs, smart thermostats, AC tune-ups, duct sealing and insulation. 

Customers are also encouraged to use the myAdvisor tool on myentergy.com to manage their energy usage. The usage and cost tool can compare usage history by month, day and hour.

About Entergy New Orleans
Entergy New Orleans, LLC provides electricity to more than 209,000 customers and natural gas to more than 110,000 customers in Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

About Entergy Louisiana
Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than one million customers in 58 parishes and natural gas service to more than 94,000 customers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.