Community Involvement

PPL Community Affairs Principles
PPL will contribute to the quality of communities where we do business. We will direct initiatives that go beyond the traditional boundaries of corporate community service and involvement.

Our Neighbors
We will seek to understand environmental and community issues through a consistent dialogue with neighbors.

Community Involvement
We will support employee involvement in areas that benefit the employee and the community and support company objectives.

Education
We will collaborate with educators and strategic partners to provide educational opportunities for students.

Philanthropy
We will direct corporate resources to programs that improve our communities and make business sense.

Workforce Development
We will seek opportunities to prepare tomorrow's workers.

Recreation and the Environment
We will preserve natural areas to create recreational and educational opportunities for our neighbors.

Economic and Community Development
PPL provides significant economic and community development services in the communities where it does business.

As a marketing partner with local and regional organizations, PPL has developed a sophisticated Web site that includes a searchable database of available industrial and office properties across Pennsylvania.

PPL also hosts forums that enable local partners to share best practices and hear from leaders in the public and private sectors about current topics in land use, conservation, marketing and development.

Staff resources of PPL include regional community relations directors. They provide hands-on leadership and drive local projects such as industrial park development and downtown revitalization that produce jobs and economic growth.

U.K. Community Support
Western Power Distribution (WPD) believes businesses have a responsibility to take a full and active role in local communities, which is why WPD provides practical and charitable assistance.

Each year, WPD establishes a community support policy whose themes focus on education, safety and the environment. WPD considers support for projects or events that fall under these principles, no matter how large or small.

U.S. Customer Assistance Programs
PPL Electric Utilities and PPL Gas Utilities spent $27 million in 2006 on programs to help low-income customers pay their heating bills, reduce their energy use and avoid service disconnections. PPL assistance programs address a variety of needs.

PPL Electric Utilities' Operation HELP provides cash assistance for paying heating bills of any type: electric, gas, oil, propane or other fuel. The program has raised $17 million since 1983, through voluntary contributions from PPL, employees and customers. In 2005, PPL raised its contribution by 40 percent, to $700,000. In 2008, PPL will raise its contribution again, to $1 million.

PPL's U.S.-based electric and natural gas utilities provided $18.5 million of funding in 2006 to assistance programs that reduce customer bills based on their ability to pay.

PPL Electric Utilities also provides low-income customers with energy education, energy-efficient appliances and home weatherization services such as insulation and caulking. Qualifying customers receive these services from professional contractors at no cost to the customers. The funding for this program was $7.4 million in 2006. About 2,800 customers receive these services annually.

In the United Kingdom and Latin America, government-run programs provide this type of customer assistance.

U.S. Customer Conservation Programs - Energy Analyzer Web site
PPL Electric Utilities is developing programs that promote energy efficiency and help customers understand how they can reduce their electricity use.

In June 2007, PPL Electric Utilities launched an online Energy Analyzer tool that helps customers understand and manage electricity use and identify actions they can take to conserve energy. PPL Electric Utilities is implementing technology that will make hourly electric-use information available to all of its customers. This technology will enable expansion of time-of-use pricing options, which give customers economic incentives to limit their use of electricity during times when the demand for electricity (and the wholesale price of electricity) are highest.

Since 2002, PPL Electric Utilities has had a pilot program for time-of-use pricing during the summer months. About 300 residential customers participate in that pilot program.

 This page addresses the following GRI indicators: 2.9 (community, customers), 2.18, 3.11, EC10, HR13 and SO1