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(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Residential customers across the Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities companies’ service territories stepped up in a big way to help their fellow neighbors, breaking previous heating assistance donation records and helping even more community members this winter.

Coupled with the utilities’ year-round donation matches and increased match of $2 for every $1 donated by customers since October 2013,  LG&E and KU customers and the utilities contributed more than $440,000 in 2013 toward the utilities’ heating assistance programs.

The LG&E Community Winterhelp, KU WinterCare Energy Assistance Fund and WinterShare Fund offered by Old Dominion Power, the name under which KU operates in Virginia, are operated by area third-party nonprofit organizations. The agencies make this financial assistance available to community members who may be struggling this winter to pay their heating bills.

In December alone, customers donated nearly $27,000, setting a new five-year, all-time donation record for a single month. From November to December, donations were up nearly 62 percent among LG&E customers and more than doubled among KU customers.

When comparing December’s results to the same time period one year ago, donations were up nearly 47 percent among LG&E customers and up nearly 45 percent among KU customers.

And, the utilities’ increased assistance will continue through March 31, 2014 — matching $2 for every $1 donated by residential customers to the utilities’ heating assistance programs.

“Our customers’ generosity is staggering, and we couldn’t be more proud to share these results,” said John P. Malloy, vice president of Customer Services for LG&E and KU. “Doubling our customers’ donations gives us the ability to stretch our customers’ generosity even further, providing greater access to assistance funds and helping more community members this winter who may be struggling to pay their heating bills.”

Over the last five years, customer donations and the utilities’ matching funds have raised more than $1.7 million, with nearly $975,000 of that donated by the utilities. These funds have assisted thousands of families in paying their heating bills.

Make a donation

Residential customers may make a tax-deductible donation to the utilities’ heating assistance programs by making a monthly pledge or a one-time contribution. Even rounding up a payment to the next whole dollar makes a difference.

Assistance eligibility

Eligibility for heating assistance benefits is determined by the third-party nonprofit organizations. The programs assist families in dire financial situations who lack resources, leaving a family with no heat or the immediate prospect of no heat; and families with a family member who is elderly, very young, seriously ill or disabled.

The utilities play no part in determining eligibility. Families in need of assistance will be interviewed by the third-party nonprofit organizations.

Visit lge-ku.com to learn more about the utilities’ assistance programs and the participating nonprofit service partners by region. To learn more by phone, LG&E customers can call 502-589-1444 (outside Louisville at 1-800-331-7370), and KU customers can call 1-800-981-0600.

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve a total of 1.2 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 318,000 natural gas and 393,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 539,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at lge-ku.com and pplweb.com.