COVID-19 | Alaska Power Association

Alaska’s electric utilities provide an essential service to the public. During the COVID-19 pandemic, utilities are undertaking special efforts to ensure electric power remains safe and reliable.

Here’s some important information to consider as the pandemic continues to affect everyone’s life:

Business continuity plans developed by electric utilities are designed to maintain the health and safety of the people working for them and to ensure that business critical operations continue without interruption. These measures help ensure that your electric co-op continues to provide reliable electricity during a business continuity event.
Planning for a health emergency, such as a pandemic, is unique from other business continuity planning. It requires businesses to prepare to operate with a significantly smaller workforce, a threatened supply chain, and limited support services for an extended period until an unknown date in the future.
Alaska’s electric utilities are taking steps now to be prepared in the event there is a significant impact from the coronavirus in the state’s communities. Electric utilities are focused on maintaining a healthy workforce and keeping key personnel—such as line workers and member service representatives— available so that they can continue to provide the excellent service you expect.

Read about what Alaska's electric utilities are doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Click here)

With all the uncertainty the coronavirus pandemic has caused the last thing Alaskans want to worry about is their electric power. That is why Alaska’s electric utilities have taken steps to ensure power remains safe, reliable, and economical as everyone deals with this crisis.

Electric power is one of the most essential services in the world. Electricity powers not only our homes and businesses, but critical infrastructure such as hospitals, military bases, public works, and numerous other areas that touch the lives of Alaskans.

Alaska’s electric utilities take seriously the role they play in everyone’s lives. When it became clear the novel coronavirus – COVID-19 – was going to cause a significant impact, the state’s electric utilities implemented special protocols to ensure the power stays on and the public is protected.

In early March, as lockdowns and closures started taking place statewide, electric utilities began suspending service disconnects for non-payment due to financial hardship caused by COVID-19. This action was later endorsed by the Alaska legislature and the governor through Senate Bill 241, which establishes a framework for utility payment deferrals, among other items. If you are unable to pay your electric utility bill due to financial hardship caused by COVID-19, contact your electric utility speak with them about a deferred payment plan.

Alaska’s electric utilities are also taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among their employees so they can maintain a robust workforce and keep power reliable. These measures include physical distancing in offices, split shifts for employees where possible, enhanced cleaning regimes, and special precautions when interacting with the public. Many of Alaska’s electric utilities have closed their lobbies to the public, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here for their consumers. Many have set up alternate ways of making a payment, so it’s a good idea to visit your electric utility’s website or to call them to find out what is available.

Many important infrastructure and maintenance projects are still taking place at electric utilities across the state. These projects are imperative to the safe and reliable operation of the electric system, and they are being undertaken with stringent safety precautions when contractors are required to travel to Alaska and within the state. These include following state guidelines on mandatory quarantine for those arriving in the state and physical distancing between contractors and regular employees of an electric utility, among other steps.

Electric utilities are part of the community, and their employees are our family and friends. The safety of each community is top of mind as workers report for duty each day.

The public can also take an active role in protecting electric utility workers from COVID-19. If you see utility workers on a job site, don’t approach them. Instead, call the electric utility and ask them to relay a message to the workers if you need to get them information.

Some electric utilities are maintaining office hours with drop offs or drive-up windows. Try to limit your trips to these areas. It is best to combine trips if you can, taking care of multiple issues during one visit. Check to see if your electric utility has an app or web portal to make payments, so we can all limit our contact and help flatten the curve.

Electric utilities understand that this a time of great uncertainty, and they want to help lessen the burden by providing power and the peace of mind that comes with worrying about one less thing.

Resources for Residential and Commercial Consumers

Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) COVID-19 Utility-Related Information

http://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/NewsItems/NewsItemDetails.aspx?id=4039b048-44be-4fcb-aaed-e884ae2dfcd3

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps keep families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families with energy costs.
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap

Tips for Managing Energy Use during COVID-19
As Alaskan families and businesses transition to remote-work, they may see a surge in home energy use – and in upcoming electric bills. Simple money-saving steps can help lower monthly electric bills without jeopardizing safety or comfort.

Recommended energy-saving tips include:

Program your thermostat to maximize energy savings. Setting your thermostat one degree lower when heating or one degree higher when cooling can reduce energy use by up to 5 percent.
Do full loads of laundry and wash with cold water. Using warm water instead of hot can cut a load’s energy use in half, and using cold water will save even more.
Air dry dishes. This step can cut your dishwasher’s energy use by up to 50 percent.
Substitute LEDs for conventional light bulbs. Lighting can amount to up to 12% of monthly energy use. LED bulbs can cut lighting costs by 75%.
Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use. Small appliances and electronics use energy even when not in use. When powered on, game consoles, televisions and similar electronics are responsible for up to 12 percent of energy use.

If you have questions about your energy bill, contact your local electric utility for the best information.

Here are some resources to consider while many of us work from home and practice social distancing:

All cooped up with the kids? Click the link below for some ideas on how to entertain them.
https://alaskapower.org/tips-for-entertaining-kids-during-social-distancing/

Eleven ways to avoid feeling cooped up.
https://alaskapower.org/eleven-ways-to-avoid-feeling-cooped-up/

Tips for Working Remotely
https://alaskapower.org/tips-for-working-remotely/

BEWARE OF COVID-19 SCAMS
Electric utility customers should be on the lookout for suspicious emails, phone calls, or persons impersonating business employees or charitable organizations. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of opportunities such as this when households are otherwise preoccupied. If you get a call from someone claiming to represent your electric utility and they make threats or demand immediate payment, hang up and call your electric utility right away.