Let us help you stay on track with your CWLP bill and learn about payment plans and new bill assistance options including our new Small Business Rate Relief Rebate, and other ways to get help on your bill.
Bill Assistance

New CWLP Small Business Rate Relief Rebate Available

CWLP is offering utility bill relief to help Springfield’s small businesses in financial hardship due to COVID-19. The Springfield City Council approved a total allocation of $1 million from CWLP’s Environmental and Regulatory Initiative and Rebate Fund (ERIRF) for this relief program. Applications are set to open Thursday, December 17 by 9 a.m.

This program is designated for CWLP’s small business electric customers located in Springfield corporate limits among three customer types:

• Small Businesses in Rate Classes 40, 42, 44 or 46
• Independent restaurants and bars
• Veterans associations operating commercial kitchens

One-time rebates in the form of a CWLP bill credit for August and September 2020 billings for corresponding electric charges up to $3,000 will be awarded to qualifying small business customers. Small businesses that have received other COVID-19 financial assistance will not be excluded from applying to this rebate program.
Learn More & Apply

New Funding Added to Project RELIEF Residential Customer Bill Assistance Program

Project RELIEF was allocated additional emergency funding to assist customers with overdue electric bills this winter season. Qualifying customers must have a total household income for the previous 90 days of no more than 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and must also have first gone through LIHEAP application (www.helpillinoisfamilies.com or call 217.535.3120). With this new funding allocation, customers that received Project RELIEF assistance last year, whom normally would be excluded, would be eligible to again apply this year.

The first step in applying for Project RELIEF is to call the CWLP Project RELIEF Office at 217.789.2414. The program coordinator will conduct a telephone interview with you to determine if you meet the basic requirements for participation. If you do, an appointment will be scheduled for you with Fifth Street Renaissance, which administers the program for CWLP. The program runs through May or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.

Ways to Save

Another way to address and manage your CWLP bill, is to find ways to reduce your electric and water usage. Let our Energy Services Office help you. Call 217.789.2070 or email nrgxprts@cwlp.com and request Technical Assistance. ESO can help you evaluate your bill and usage, and also give you low cost and no cost tips to help you reduce consumption. You can also go to CWLP.com and click on the Save Energy-Save Water Tab for projects you can do at your property to improve efficiency. There are also rebates available for those that want to make upgrades or improvements to lower usage while maintaining comfort in your property.

Partnerships and funding sources are continuing to grow for Lake Springfield’s Source Water Protection Project, a five year program to improve soil health and water quality in the lake’s watershed. This project, set to kick off in 2021, was made possible through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) provided by the 2018 Farm Bill. The USDA recently awarded nearly $1.3 million to provide agricultural producers funding for conservation practices, and for education and outreach in the Lake Springfield Watershed.

City Water, Light and Power (CWLP), the lead partner administering the RCPP award, and 12 other agencies are contributing funding, programs, and services as a match. Together, partner-pledged contributions now total over $2 million, up from $1.3 million in initial pledges. Work is underway by these partners on a variety of plans and programming to implement a number of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the sediment and nutrient loading entering the tributaries of Lake Springfield. These BMPs include cover crops, conservation/reduced tillage practices, grassed waterways, wetlands and other structural practices. Outreach and education of such practices to reduce nutrient and sediment loading will also be a part of the program.

CWLP Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown says these plans and programming for the Lake Springfield watershed is a continuation of utility’s commitment to protect the lake. Brown said, “By increasing conservation and reduced tillage practices throughout watershed, CWLP hopes to increase the quality of watershed streams and reduce sediment from flowing into Lake Springfield, while also improving field profitability and soil health for the farmers.”

The Illinois Farm Bureau, one of the RCPP partners, sees value in the partnerships of agencies working in resource protection. “The agricultural community sees the importance of continued collaboration with drinking water agencies as we work together over the next five-years and beyond to implement best management practices that will reduce nonpoint source pollution in both rural and urban settings within the watershed,” says Lauren Lurkins, Director of Environmental Policy for the Illinois Farm Bureau. “RCPP funding opens up new opportunities for area farmers, local county farm bureaus, and local soil and water districts to work hand-in-hand to protect our natural resources.”

Todd LaFountain, CWLP Water Division Manager, says the RCPP programming will help the utility further meet its source water quality goals on multiple fronts. “Reducing the nutrient and sediment loads that enter the lake will help us reduce the risk of harmful algal blooms and other source water contamination issues, plus slow the progression of Lake Springfield water capacity loss and reduce finished water treatment costs,” he said. “The RCCP program will help CWLP achieve our own lake watershed protection plan goals and significantly contribute to State of Illinois’ Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) to reduce phosphorous and nitrate-nitrogen loads.”

Since the initial funding announcement, new partners have joined including the Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources, and the Sangamon County Farm Bureau. All partners include:

• City Water, Light and Power (lead partner)
• Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) (new)
• Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) – the Division of Fisheries
• Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)—the Office of Water Resources (new)
• Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB)
• Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA)
• Illinois Lake Management Association (ILMA)
• Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA)
• ManPlan LLC
• Northwater Consulting
• Sangamon County Farm Bureau (SCFB) (new)
• Sangamon County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD)
• Springfield Plastics

RCPP outreach and education activities are beginning, and producer applications for funding will open later this year. To receive notifications for the RCPP such as the opening of the RCPP applications, and for information on agricultural watershed events and other grant/funding opportunities through the Sangamon County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD), please sign up to be on the Lake Springfield Watershed Notification List. To join the list, contact Sarah Lindholm, RCPP Coordinator at CWLP (217)-757-8660 x1025 or sarah.lindholm@cwlp.com) with your contact information such as name, phone number, e-mail, and address. Producers interested in installing RCPP conservation practices once applications are open, can also contact Sarah directly. More information on RCPP can also be found here, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/releases/?cid=nrcseprd1629618.

About the Lake Springfield Watershed

The Lake Springfield watershed encompasses over 170,000 acres in Sangamon, Macoupin and Morgan counties; the main source waters to Lake Springfield are Lick and Sugar Creeks, and their tributaries. Approximately 74% of the watershed is row crop agriculture, while roughly 6% is urban area including Springfield, Illinois and villages and cities located to the south and west. The lake supplies drinking water to approximately 165,000 people.

Over the last 36 years, CWLP and its Lake Springfield watershed partners have invested nearly $5.5 million in source water protection measures. A number of watershed protection programs for Lake Springfield began in the 1980s. Shoreline stabilization and sediment removal, among other practices, commenced in those years. Following the formation of the Lake Springfield Watershed Resource Planning Committee in 1990, various lake land use and land management plans were developed for water quality and protection purposes for Lake Springfield and its watershed. Many cost-share programs between the utility and land owners have been implemented for reducing soil erosion and nutrient and sediment runoff over the years. Measures have also been taken to reduce atrazine, nitrogen and phosphorus specifically in Springfield’s water source. In 2020 CWLP was awarded the American Water Works Association’s Source Water Protection award for its watershed protection efforts.

As part of the City of Springfield’s work to perform studies and make application in pursuit of a supplemental water source, a team of researchers from the University of Illinois was hired under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to complete an aquatic recreation supply and demand study, assessing current and future needs. The purpose of the study was to see if there are significant enough needs for additional recreation to be added as a screening consideration for the City’s supplemental water supply options.

The report identified a need for additional aquatic recreation facilities within a fifty mile radius of Springfield. This criteria will be added to the City’s Supplemental Water Supply project purpose and need statement for screening of alternatives among supplemental water supply options being considered. The methods and results for the assessment of aquatic recreation supply and demand are presented in this report.

Recreation Report

The City of Springfield is actively monitoring COVID-19 locally and a state level. Illinois is currently on a Stay At Home order. This pandemic is quickly changing and our departments are doing their best to provide City services during this time. Stay up-to-date with all local COVID19 resources, City operations changes and find other helpful information here.

Properties that have been closed should flush their water system as one of the first steps to using the building again. Stagnant or standing water can increase the growth and spread of bacteria and disinfectant levels such as for chlorine can drop and become less effective.

Flushing can be accomplished simply by running hot and cold water through all source taps within the property starting with those closest to the water entry point to your building. The CDC has a number of tips for building water systems to follow for maintaining a building’s water system. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/building-water-system.html. The CDC also advises that COVID-19 has not been detected in any water supplies and that standard treatment methods addresses this issue.

CWLP customers with questions on the quality of your water after a prolonged shutdown should call 217.757.8630 x1703.

CWLP residential customers can take advantage of a High-Efficiency Air Conditioner Rebate program to help lower bills and reduce summer energy usage. Qualifying units must be new with a minimum SEER rating of 16 and a minimum EER rating of 12.5 and installed on or after March 1. Cooling capacity must also be less than 72,000 Btuh or 6 tons. Rebates will be given on a first-come, first-served basis to customers meeting all of the eligibility requirements until funding is exhausted. Rebate amounts awarded, which will be applied as a credit to the customer’s CWLP bill, may range from $150 to $600 depending on the unit type installed.

Applicants for the program must:

• Be CWLP metered electric customers.
• The central air conditioner meeting the required efficiency ratings must be installed by an HVAC contractor licensed to operate in Springfield.
• Applications, accompanied by proof of purchase with purchase cost, must be received by CWLP within one year of the installation date to be eligible for the rebate.

For full rebate rules and eligibility requirements see the High Efficiency Air Conditioning Rebate information and form from the CWLP rebate page, or contact the Energy Services Office at 217.789.2070 or email nrgxprts@cwlp.com.

Public Forum Held

In 2018 the City of Springfield began a process for an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to identify the best resource options for CWLP to provide reliable and reasonably priced electrical power to meet the community’s future energy needs. Evaluating CWLP’s current generation was needed due to customer load decreasing, lower cost options in the market and a number of upcoming significant capital expenditures for environmental compliance and major maintenance needs associated with coal-fired generation.

The Energy Authority (TEA) conducted the IRP by compiling and analyzing economic data of CWLP’s existing electric resources along with the economic data of other options such as wind, solar, natural gas combustion turbine, power purchases from the market, demand side management and energy storage. This IRP was used as a guide for plant retirement and power purchase agreement considerations as the utility seeks to provide its customers value and savings from a diversified, and reliable low-risk energy portfolio.

Want to learn more? See our IRP page where we've added our past presentation documents, plus meeting video and info sheets on the FAQs and Plant Retirement Considerations here www.cwlp.com/irp.

Now is a great time for our customers to install a geothermal heat pump in their homes. Besides being three to four times more efficient than standard air conditioners and gas furnace combination systems, if installed by the end of 2019, a 30% Federal Tax Credit is available plus a one-time CWLP rebate up to $3,000. In addition, with a heat pump, CWLP residential customers can qualify for our Electric Heat Rate discount when electricity is used as the primary energy source for heating. Customers who are currently on CWLP's Electric Rates 34-37 already receive this savings.

The Geothermal & Air Source Heat Pump Rebate is available to CWLP residential electric customers meeting all eligibility requirements. Commercial customers may also qualify for this rebate but pre-approval is required and rebate amounts differ.

For information on amounts available for all of CWLP’s rebates and full program details on program pre-approval requirements, please contact the CWLP Energy Services by phone at 217.789.2070 or visit our Rebate Page.

On Monday, December 10th, 2018, a Public Utilities Committee meeting was held on a potential project for the Electric Division. The meeting included presentations from University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center on a potential carbon capture project for Dallman Unit 4; as well as project updates from the CWLP Water Division on Lake Springfield watershed protection programs, Water Works Improvement Projects and status of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement as it relates to a supplemental water supply for the utility. You can view our presentation documents here.

Home energy audits and technical assistance programs helping people save.

City Water, Light and Power Energy Experts are in the business of helping Springfield residents and commercial customers save money and energy through the utility’s various technical assistance programs. The CWLP Energy Experts offer a Money-Back Home Energy Audit program to help residential electric customers reduce their energy usage, save money, address drafts, or just to help them figure out what to do to make their home more efficient. In addition, the Energy Experts can also provide residents and businesses on-site assistance and conduct individual account assessments to help identify efficiency issues or usage questions.

CWLP MONEY-BACK HOME ENERGY AUDIT
CWLP's home energy audit, which is covered by a one-time $25 fee added to a customer’s electric bill, is available to anyone owning or residing in a residential property that receives metered electric service from CWLP. The audit take about two hours to complete in most homes and involves a search for inefficiencies in the home from the attic to the basement, a blower door test and a thorough assessment detailing any problems.

After the audit is complete, the Energy Expert will provide the customer with a packet of efficiency products selected based on the needs identified by the audit. In addition to reviewing findings with the customer as the audit and blower door test are in progress, the Energy Expert will write a report that details all of the improvement recommendations, share information on available rebates and provide savings estimates achievable from each. If any or all of the improvements listed in the audit report are made within one year of the initial audit and the customer completes a follow-up audit, a $25 rebate will be issued to the customer.

SMART SOLUTIONS HOME EFFICIENCY WORKSHOPS
The CWLP Energy Services Office offers “Smart Solutions,” home efficiency workshops throughout the year at the Lincoln Library and on-demand in a group setting for organizations or neighborhood groups, who have a minimum of 15 attendees. In most cases, the workshops can be set up at the convenience of the requesting organization.

COMMERCIAL FACILITY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
CWLP offers free facility technical assistance to commercial electric customers upon request. Included in a commercial facility technical assistance is a walk-through evaluation of the business' energy systems, including lighting, HVAC and thermostat operation, water heating and other specialized equipment or systems. During the walk-through, the Energy Expert also addresses specific concerns and can provide tips on equipment or operational changes that could be made to reduce energy usage, as well as information about rebates, grants and other incentives for improving energy or water efficiency that might be available from CWLP and other sources.

CWLP Energy Experts also can provide the customer with billing histories in both table and graphical form and explain the bill components. Comparisons of weather-related data can also be provided, allowing the customer to understand the impact weather can and has had on consumption.

GENERAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR HOMES OR BUSINESSES
The general Technical Assistance (TA) program offered by CWLP is designed to help customers who are experiencing efficiency-related problems in their homes or businesses or who have any type of energy efficiency question. TAs, which are free of charge to CWLP electric customers, can be conducted on-site, over the phone, by mail, or by email—depending on the circumstances and needs of the customer.

Some TAs are investigatory in nature, such as those provided to customers who call with high-bill concerns. Some are educational in nature, such as those that teach customers how to use automatic setback thermostats and provide advice about various efficiency tools, choosing a heating and cooling contractor, or making economic comparisons of energy systems. The CWLP Energy Experts can even help customers design energy efficiency into the structure before building a new home or business.

To make an appointment or for more information on the CWLP Money Back Home Energy Audit or any of the technical assistance programs, customers can call the CWLP Energy Services Office at 789-2070 or email nrgxprts@cwlp.com.