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Support for Small Business & Non-Profit City Light Customers Impacted by COVID-19

We understand that COVID-19 and Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order have impacted our small business and non-profit customers in unprecedented ways. Seattle City Light is here to help by making our resources for small and medium business customers easier to access. You can now sign up for bill deferral and/or a virtual energy assessment via an online form.

Click below to see this information in another language:

Bill Deferral
In addition to waiving late fees and suspending any disconnections during the emergency order, we are also offering flexible payment plans to help you with your electricity bill.

When setting up a payment plan, you will be asked how much you can pay today and how you would like to pay the remaining balance—either spread out over several installments or one deferred payment within 90 days.

If you are on autopay, be sure to turn it off when signing up for a payment plan. If you don’t update it, you will be charged the full amount when the automatic payment is scheduled to be made.

Free Virtual Energy Assessment
Social distancing has changed everything about how and when we use energy, and we want you to have all the information you need on how to keep your electricity bill as low as possible.

We are offering a new service to conduct a virtual “walk-through” of your business, evaluate your energy use, and identify zero-cost energy savings tips you can do to save money on your bill today. Additionally, our energy management analysts will recommend energy upgrades and connect you with available rebates or financial incentives.

Free Energy Efficient Equipment Installation
City Light is offering free efficient lighting and water savers to small businesses for a limited time. If you currently have inefficient lighting (incandescent, halogen, or compact fluorescent), this is a great opportunity to get efficient LEDs installed at no cost. It’s easy to sign up and it’s free!

Once you sign up, we will work with you to schedule a time for our team to visit your business to install LED bulbs and leave behind easy-to-install water savers as needed. Our team is following the guidance of Washington State Coronavirus Response with regards to personal protective equipment including masks, physical distancing, cleanliness practices, and daily verification of staff health.

Eligibility
Bill deferral is available for all commercial customers.

The free virtual energy assessment and the free energy efficient equipment installation are available to commercial customers on the small or medium general service rate up to 250 kW, excluding multifamily buildings and national franchises and chains. Case-by-case exceptions will be made for locally-owned businesses with less than 100 employees. Additionally, for the energy efficient equipment installation, we provide LED bulbs to replace incandescent, halogen, or compact fluorescent bulbs and water savers to customers with electric water heat.

Click on the link above to get started. You’ll want to have your 10-digit Seattle City Light account number—you can find it on your bill. You can always get in touch with our business customer service advisors directly at (206) 256-5200 or at SCL_BusinessServices@seattle.gov. If you would like translation into a language other than English on the phone, say the language you need (e.g., “Spanish, please!” or “Vietnamese, please!”) when the advisor answers, and they will connect you to a translator.

Important! Have you closed your business and need to permanently cancel your service? You must close your City Light account, or you will continue to receive bills. Please contact business customer service advisors directly at (206) 256-5200 or at SCL_BusinessServices@seattle.gov.



Other COVID-19 Resources for your business and your employees
Check out these recent blog posts with information for your business and your employees.

From Seattle & Washington State:
Office of Economic Development – Small Business Stabilization Fund
City of Seattle – Small Business & Non-Profit Support
City of Seattle’s #SupportSeattleSmallBiz Map
City of Seattle Resources (all)
Office of the Governor Resources