PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Inside her small office at the Council on Aging of St. Lucie, Yvette Cruz is making a big difference – helping thousands of seniors in need along Florida’s Treasure Coast. Armed with her phone and a network of community supporters, she makes sure the elderly have access to assistance programs from the government, agencies and local companies.
“One of our biggest supporters is Florida Power & Light Company (FPL),” Cruz, the outreach and consumer service director, said. “FPL has been so supportive with their Care to Share program and they have provided funding to the Council on Aging for seniors to receive additional assistance.”
Care to Share is an FPL program made possible by generous donations from employees, shareholders and the community. It helps qualified customers and seniors with home electrical repairs and financial aid.
Cruz works closely with Laura Bayona, an FPL employee in the company’s customer advocacy department, which focuses primarily on connecting elderly and low-income customers with programs and organizations offering financial assistance on electric bills.
In the past, Cruz and Bayona have worked together to avoid service interruptions for seniors dependent on medical equipment at home and facing an energy or financial crisis. It’s a partnership both parties value immensely.
“She’s always a call away,” Cruz said. “We’re able to find creative ways to help my clients who may be facing a crisis.”
Fueled by a passion to help others and make the world a better place, Bayona’s background in environmental studies and public policy has allowed her to combine energy efficiency with helping those in need.
It’s an ethos that was instilled in her by her parents in Colombia, where her father taught her the importance of conserving resources and electricity so future generations could enjoy them and her mother, who directly helped those in need in their small mountain-side community by cutting hair for the elderly and buying groceries for neighbors, even when she had limited means herself.
"It’s important to help our seniors and make sure they know help and support is available,” Bayona said. “Many customers are going to these agencies because they need assistance, and they can use these resources to save money and keep the lights on.”
Today, Bayona sits on the boards of multiple organizations that assist the elderly, like the Florida Council on Aging, and advocates at the legislative level for bill payment assistance programs on a federal and state level so they receive funding.
She and her team connect with more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations so community advocates like Cruz are aware of them.
Recently, Bayona visited the Council to help seniors understand their electric bills and lower costs. Attendees learned tips like optimizing ceiling fans, setting the thermostat to 82 degrees when they’re away and lowering water heater temperatures.
“I learned quite a bit and they gave me this information about the boxes for the air conditioner, water heater and things like that,” Michael Moore, a Navy veteran and retiree, said.
He’s referring to the On Call® program where customers can save more than $90 annually by allowing remote adjustments to AC, heat, water heaters and pool pumps during peak demand. It’s the largest such residential program in the U.S. with more than 650,000 participants.
Moore is also getting a free home energy survey where FPL experts evaluate usage, provide customized energy savings tips and connect customers to programs they may qualify for.
Bayona’s mission is to bring this knowledge to all senior centers in the state by visiting more senior centers and continuing her work on boards like the Florida Council on Aging.
"I promote all of the energy efficiency programs in the day-to-day work that we do," Bayona said. “It’s important for our customers to have control over their bill and learn how they can save money.”
Other ways customers can save on energy include:
- Cooling your home at 78 degrees or higher with the thermostat fan switched to auto.
- Replacing old, high-flow showerheads with water-efficient showerheads to save up to $80 a year.
- Get personalized tips from FPL's Energy Manager, which automatically breaks down and itemizes the actual cost and use of energy throughout your home, with personalized tips on how to save on your bill.
FPL customers can learn more about ways to save energy and money on their bill by visiting fpl.com/waystosave.
FPL Energy Expert and Pensacola native Corey Booth volunteers year-round with the United Way to address the needs in his community. As colder weather affects him and his neighbors, he offers practical advice on ways to stay warm while keeping bills low.
From death-defying thrills to helping FPL customers save on their electric bills, former circus performer Mike Catarzi offers energy efficiency tips and tricks during the hottest months of the year.
In the summer months, when energy bills rise as air conditioner units use more electricity, Melissa Booher and her team at FPL's Customer Advocacy team work tirelessly to help lower bills for the most needy.