How one man got Austin Energy to reform its discounts to low-income customers
Jack Craver, Reporter, Energy Industry, Energy Central March 21, 2018
Paul Robbins has been a thorn in the side of Austin Energy for decades. The longtime environmentalist and consumer advocate comes to City Council meetings regularly to bemoan bad decisions by the municipally-owned utility.
One of his most prominent crusades has been against wasted money in the utility’s Consumer Assistance Program, which is supposed to offer discounts to low-income ratepayers. Robbins, however, has long contended that many of the program’s beneficiaries aren’t low-income at all. He has done this by highlighting expensive homes –– some exceeding $1 million –– that are enlisted in the program.
In presentations to City Council, Robbins displayed photos of the magnificent homes that some of the program beneficiaries live in.