Some Businesses Can Save on Power Bills

New or expanded businesses located within the Pacoima Enterprise Zone may be eligible to save up to 20% on their electrical bills under a Department of Water and Power program being administered by the city’s Community Development Department.

“We have approximately 700 customers on this program right now and they vary from very small to very large,” said Saul Liskin of the DWP. “The typical savings is around 18% to 20%.”

Under the terms of the program, a new business is defined as one that was established within a year of submitting its application or that moved into the Enterprise Zone from another location within the last year.

Expanded businesses are those that have increased their electrical use by at least 50% in the past six months over the previous 12-month period, officials said.

Eligible businesses may remain in the program for as long as five years.

“We help process the applications but the final approval comes from the DWP itself,” said Robert Perez, a senior analyst with the Community Development Department.

The program, which applies to all five of the city’s Enterprise Zones, started in 1991. The city department recently initiated a drive to attract more eligible businesses, officials said. The 7.5-square-mile Pacoima Enterprise Zone is the only one located in the Valley.

In 1986, the state established 34 Enterprise Zones to help develop poor neighborhoods with tax breaks and other business incentives.

For more information, or for an application for the discount program, call the CDD at (213) 485-4767.