A question was posed on social media this week: do the LEAP grants actually make a difference to people who need help paying their bills?

We decided to crunch our numbers

211 Leap files for electricity

28% of applicants had their bills paid in full

22% had less than $100 to pay after Leap help

24% had the amount owing at least cut in half

22% had their bills reduced by 25% only

3% were over $5 000

So the answers is: that for 50% of the applicants the assistance made a significant impact upon their arrears.

For another 24% that is a good reduction in what is owing, and a payment arrangement on the balance could be manageable.

The remaining 25% will continue to struggle and without additional help, they could continue to face the risk of disconnection

 

77 Leap files for natural gas

74% of applicants had their bills paid in full

15% had less than $100 to pay after Leap help

11% had the amount owing at least cut in half

 

For natural gas customers almost 90% of the applicants were significantly impacted by the grant they received.

For an overview of our program please visit the Utility page of our website