A housing complex is not just a place, it is a home – a home that protects, shelters and nurtures. It offers a safe place for residents to thrive and supports their personal and professional development. Behind every housing site is a power provider that helps ensure the lights turn on, offering a sense of security for the people inside.
Hetch Hetchy Power, the City’s publicly owned utility managed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), is proud to serve and partner with affordable housing providers in San Francisco to support their mission of building communities that enhance the quality of life for residents. By serving 100% greenhouse gas-free electricity to many affordable and public housing properties, the SFPUC is helping to ensure the environmental, economic, and community benefits of public power are delivered directly to San Franciscans who need them the most.
As more San Franciscans move into newly built affordable housing sites across the city, Hetch Hetchy Power has been reaching out to welcome residents into their new homes.
Over the past few months, the SFPUC has coordinated a series of community town hall events at housing sites served by Hetch Hetchy Power. In August, SFPUC team members visited affordable housing properties in the Mission District, providing in-language presentations about Hetch Hetchy Power’s services, billing, and customer programs to help residents get acquainted with their new provider.
To support our customers with low or fixed incomes, the SFPUC team was able to enroll eligible customers in discount programs like the newly revamped Customer Assistance Program (CAP), which provides a 30% monthly bill discount. While on-site, the team could hear directly from customers about their concerns and questions while also providing tips on how to save energy at home to lower their total energy bill. The team provided giveaway items, too, including a refrigerator magnet with Hetch Hetchy Power’s Customer Service number, LED lightbulbs, battery packs for charging devices like your cell phone, a water bottle, and a tote bag.
For the SFPUC’s Hetch Hetchy Power program, public power is about building community power and supporting the health, safety, and security of our customers and neighbors. Transitioning to clean, affordable energy has many positive impacts – less air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and healthier homes. However, historically these benefits have often been realized in wealthier and Whiter communities first, resulting in disparities in access for low-income communities and communities of color. The SFPUC is committed to addressing this equity gap and ensuring that public and affordable housing residents in San Francisco continue to receive the benefit of clean, publicly-owned power for generations to come.