PECO’s Year-Round Commitment to Customers

Summer is here, and families across southeastern Pennsylvania have been taking steps to prepare for the season’s record-breaking temperatures. For many, that means finding ways to manage energy use without straining household budgets. Thankfully, they’re not alone. Working alongside dozens of community organizations, PECO is focused on making sure energy assistance, education, and support are available to every customer.

PECO, the region’s largest energy company, delivers power to nearly 1.7 million electric and more than 553,000 natural gas customers across the greater Philadelphia region. But the company’s role goes far beyond keeping the lights on and the natural gas flowing; they are also focused on helping customers navigate financial challenges, manage their energy use, and access essential resources year-round.

How PECO Powers Community Engagement

In addition to delivering reliable energy every day, PECO also takes a people-centered approach to supporting low-to-moderate income customers through its Community Engagement team. Tasked with helping customers manage their bills, providing energy-saving tips, and stepping in when families face an unexpected crisis, the team helps make PECO a consistent and visible resource.

This work is led by PECO’s Corporate and Community Impact (CCI) department, using a multi-layered, strategic approach. Within this department is the Community Engagement team, which works to meet customers where they are by proactively offering support and sharing resources and information through community events, direct mailers, social media campaigns, and — most importantly — one-on-one conversations. In 2024 alone, the team participated in more than 300 community-based outreach events across PECO’s service area, generating nearly 25,000 customer touchpoints. Their efforts center on three pillars: raising awareness, expanding access, and increasing enrollment in energy assistance and customer support programs.

A Network of Trusted Partners

PECO’s community engagement efforts are strengthened by decades-long partnerships with more than 30 nonprofits that work to connect customers with PECO and available assistance. These partners, which are deeply embedded into the neighborhoods they serve, bring a strong understanding of local needs, cultural context, and trust from customers. These partnerships help PECO tailor its support to best resonate with the communities it serves and to make it more convenient for customers to get help when and where they need it.

The nonprofit partners of PECO’s Community Engagement team also help to address the complex factors contributing to energy insecurity, including job loss, housing instability, language barriers, aging home infrastructure, and limited access to digital tools. These partnerships don’t just help families keep the power on — they also contribute to broader improvements in quality of life.

While each partnership is uniquely designed to meet the specific needs of the communities it serves, their work always includes these key tasks: training nonprofit staff to better support constituents in need, maintaining two-way communication so PECO can help address specific challenges, and organizing community engagement events to raise broader awareness of available support.

ACHIEVEability, for example, is a key PECO partner and Philadelphia nonprofit focused on breaking the generational cycle of poverty by empowering families through education, housing, and wraparound support. As a PECO Customer Assistance Program (CAP) enrollment site, ACHIEVEability helps low-income, single-parent, and unhoused families stabilize their lives by connecting them with energy assistance and long-term support. Their holistic, boots-on-the-ground approach is built on trust with the community. They give families the tools to build lasting independence and create a better future for the next generation. With ongoing training and collaborations to support ACHIEVEability constituents, this partnership is vital in supporting Philadelphians struggling to make ends meet.

One of PECO’s Delaware County partners is the Community Action Agency of Delaware County (CAADC), which promotes economic mobility through energy conservation programs, workforce development, and housing support. CAADC serves as PECO’s designated CAP and Matching Energy Assistance Fund (MEAF) enrollment agency for Delaware County. Through MEAF, PECO helps provide emergency grants to households facing short-term financial hardship. These grants — often funded through customer donations on monthly bills — are matched dollar-for-dollar by PECO.

In addition to enrolling eligible customers, CAADC works closely with PECO on a range of support services, including hosting outreach events, conducting site visits to problem solve individual customer cases, and ensuring vulnerable residents stay connected to service.

Extending Support Through Community-Focused Channels

In recent years, PECO has developed new programs that not only support customers but also empower employees, partners, and neighbors to take action. These efforts include building referral networks with hospitals and school districts; expanding PECO’s online presence with FindHelp.org, which connects people to utility assistance; and holding weekly virtual sessions with customers.

Through partnerships with several local hospitals, PECO connects with patients who may need energy assistance after they’re discharged. PECO also works with local school districts, whose school counselors and administrators refer families in need directly to the energy company. Similarly, local government offices refer constituents to PECO who need support. Since launching a referral system in 2019, PECO has grown these referrals every year; in 2024 there were more than 2,600.

PECO’s Community Engagement team also oversees the PECO Gift of Energy program, which launched in 2012. This initiative allows anyone to make a payment toward another PECO customer’s bill, an act that can bring immediate relief to a household in need. Contributions are accepted by mail or by phone; you can learn more at peco.com/GIFT. Whether your donation goes toward a neighbor, a friend, or a loved one, contributing to the program is a simple but powerful way to show care and compassion any time of the year.

At PECO, powering homes also means powering hope, opportunity, and human connection. It means showing up consistently, listening to the needs of the community, and thinking creatively to take action and offer solutions. In 2024, more than 135,000 customers received essential aid through PECO assistance programs and energy efficiency programs to help ensure their energy security. As PECO looks ahead to new challenges and opportunities, one thing remains clear: the energy company’s unwavering dedication to customers and communities will always be the foundation of its success.