Watts Current: E-Newsletter - Beware of Potential Scammers

Watts Current - December 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PWP

As we wrap up 2017, there is much to reflect on and be thankful for. I am especially appreciative of our water and power crews, who are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On Christmas Eve, a large amount of customers in East Pasadena were without electricity due to a power outage. Our hard-working power crews diagnosed the cause of the outage and restored power within two hours, allowing customers to resume their holiday celebrations.

As a publicly-owned utility, we value our long-standing relationship with the Pasadena community. With each new year, we strive to make the customer experience even better than the last. We look forward to providing our residents and businesses with ongoing reliable service, reasonable rates, and innovative upgrades for many more years to come!

Have a safe and happy new year,

Gurcharan Bawa
General Manager

BEWARE OF POTENTIAL SCAMMERS

Scammers disguising themselves as PWP employees are attempting to extort money from customers, threatening to shut off service unless a payment is made immediately over the phone. PWP advises customers to be especially vigilant of scammers, who are becoming more bold and inventive. Customers that have concerns about a recent call may:

Request the caller's name, employer name, and a call back number
Call PWP at 626.744.4005 to verify the legitimacy of the caller
Call the Pasadena Police Department at 626.744.4241 to report a fraudulent payment

To learn more about how to avoid potential scams, click here.

GENERATORS AND ELECTRIC SAFETY TIPS

Winter in Southern California can bring unexpected weather like heavy rain, wind and other conditions that could lead to an extended outage for customers. To prevent loss of power at your home, PWP recommends purchasing a generator. While generators are incredibly helpful during an outage, they require a number of safety precautions. Please keep the following safety tips in mind if you are considering using a portable generator:

Plug electric appliances into the generator using a heavy-duty extension cord.
DO NOT connect the output of your generator directly to your house wiring or service panel.
Make sure to use a portable generator at least 20 feet from your home and in a well-ventilated area.

For more information on how to choose the correct generator and operate it safely, click here.

DONATE TO PROJECT A.P.P.L.E AND HELP A CUSTOMER IN NEED

Tough times can hit any of us. This winter, consider donating to Project A.P.P.L.E. (Assisting Pasadena People with Limited Emergencies), a program that provides a one-time credit of up to $100 to help low-income PWP customers keep their lights on. Make a contribution of any amount by checking the box on your next Pasadena utility bill and include your donation with your payment, or you can donate online with PayPal. To learn more about Project A.P.P.L.E., click here.

FREE GREYWATER WORKSHOP - JANUARY 27

PWP invites you to the first Greywater Workshop of the new year! Irrigating your landscape with "greywater" -- water from showers, washing machines and bathroom sinks -- can be a valuable way to conserve water. Join us on Saturday, January 27 for an intro to the benefits of greywater and tips on how to install a system. Participants will receive a free on-site technical consult and an $80 voucher toward the purchase of their greywater system parts. To register for the workshop, click here .

PWP also offers free installation of laundry-to-landscape systems for customers enrolled in one of our low income programs. For more information, click here.

PWP ART CONTEST WINNER FEATURED IN MWD CALENDAR

Every year, PWP invites all Pasadena K-8 students to participate in the "Water is Life" Student Art Poster Contest, sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). PWP recieved over 500 drawings and selected second graders Katie Chiang of Field Elementary and Abigail C. Estrada of Hamilton Elementary as this year's winners. PWP submitted these drawings to be considered for MWD's "Water is Life" calendar. PWP is proud to announce that MWD chose Katie Chiang's art poster to be featured for the month of January. Congratulations to Katie, and the rest of the Student Art Contest winners! To read more about PWP's educational outreach programs, click here.

To view previous issues of Watts Current, click here.

To view the electronic version of our Business newsletter - The Conduit, click here.