Duke Energy has invested more than $70M on affordability grants, bill assistance and energy efficiency since 2021

Since the onset of 2021, Duke Energy and its foundation have invested more than $70 million into communities most in need, offering affordability-focused Foundation grants, bill assistance for low-income customers, and several energy efficiency programs.

The energy efficiency programs alone accounted for investments of more than $40.4 million, but affordability is at the top of the docket, according to Amy Strecker, Duke Energy Foundation’s president. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy’s shareholders. In the past two years, the company launched a more than $14.5 million bill pay assistance known as Share the Light Fund and also debuted a new program to help seniors with critical home repairs.

According to Duke Energy, the Share the Light Fund directly benefits more than 26,000 households annually, through hard topics such as connection and reconnection charges, as well as deposits. It’s funded by employees, customers and shareholders. For senior citizens, assistance came in the form of partnerships with operations like the nonprofit Rebuilding Together, and in money spread across Duke Energy’s jurisdictions.

“Continuing to listen to our neighbors about their needs is critical to how we show up in our local communities,” Strecker said. “With seniors struggling to safely age in place and making impossible decisions between critical home repairs and basic needs, our partnership with Rebuilding Together enables us to address this need by funding repairs and providing volunteers to work alongside licensed experts.”

On the energy efficiency side, Duke Energy now operates and invests in a number of targeted programs, including Neighborhood Energy Saver, Payment Plus, Refrigerator Replacement and Weatherization.