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Ohio's Electric Partnership Program (EPP) Receives National Honor!

The positive results of the 2006 EPP Impact Evaluation lead to the EPP Program's national recognition.  You can read the full Impact report at the link below:

As part of Ohio's electric industry restructuring act (Senate Bill 3), a Universal Service Fund (USF) was established to serve low-income residents who have high electricity usage. The USF's Electric Partnership Program (EPP) is designed to improve the electric efficiency of low-income households who participate in PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) by performing in-home audits and installing appropriate electric base load and thermal energy efficiency measures. Consumer education that helps PIPP participants get the most benefit from their electricity while learning ways to lower the amount they use is an integral part of the service delivery to every household.

The USF EPP is managed by the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Community Services which began operations in March 2002.

Every resident enrolled in electric PIPP is eligible for the USF EPP. However, the focus will be on helping those PIPP customers that use the most energy. Customers who are enrolled in electric PIPP and have high energy use compared with other electric PIPP enrollees will be contacted by an authorized provider of USF EPP services.

The USF EPP is composed of two types of programs:

1) A base load efficiency program which audits lighting, appliances and all other uses of electricity not related to heating, and installs appropriate measures; and,

2) A weatherization program for those who heat with electricity and who have moderate to high usage. This program adds insulation, performs heating system inspections and addresses health & safety measures.

Each program includes an education component.  This component varies in intensity on the PIPP customer's electric consumption and other factors.  Education focuses on how much energy home devices use and actions the customer can take to reduce this usage.  Education will be in the form of one of the following:

1. In-home Visits;
2. Workshops;
3. Materials by Mail.

USF EPP services will be available only to those residents eligible for PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) and living in the service territory of one of the following Ohio investor-owned electric companies:

• American Electric Power
• Duke Energy (formerly CINergy)
• Dayton Power and Light
• First Energy

EPP Policy & Procedures Manual
Locate EPP Authorized Providers