Customers who need assistance with paying their natural gas bills have payment options and financial help available, according to the Kansas Gas Service company.
The company has been notifying customers with past due balances ethrough mail, recorded calls and email, according to a spokesman.
“We want customers to know that if they’re unable to make a payment, we are here to help,” said Abbey Frye, Kansas Gas Service director of customer service. “In normal times, you may not need or qualify for assistance, but this year has been challenging. Fortunately, due to federal funding, there are resources available.”
Frye encouraged customers to pay what they could now to avid building up a large balance that would be harder to pay off later.
The company has a webpage at KansasGasService.com/Cares that identifies numerous programs and agencies that provide utility assistance. The programs include:
• Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, a federally funded program that helps households pay a portion of their home energy costs by providing a one-time per year benefit, see https://www.kansasgasservice.com/special-services/lieap.
• Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance, which serves Kansas residents who have had difficulty paying or collecting rent, utility or internet payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, see https://kshousingcorp.org/emergency-rental-assistance.
• Share the Warmth, a partnership between Kansas Gas Service and The Salvation Army to provide energy assistance to those whose immediate financial resources cannot cover their home-heating expenses, see https://www.kansasgasservice.com/special-services/share-the-warmth.
• The 211 telephone number connects with United Way and provides information and referrals for utility, food, housing and health assistance.
For a list of other resources, see https://www.kansasgasservice.com/Cares.
Kansas Gas Service suspended disconnects for nonpayment for several months and plans to resume normal collection activities this month, according to a spokesman. In addition to regular past due notifications, customers with accounts subject to disconnection who have opted into text messages will receive an alert with a link to the Kansas Gas Service website for payment access to prevent discontinuation of service.
A spokesman also stated that a legitimate call from Kansas Gas Service will never include a demand for immediate payment.
Customers may call Kansas Gas Service at 800-794-4780 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday to speak about payment options. Those who have online accounts can log into their account and click on “Make a payment arrangement” under the “Make payment” button.
