CL&P rebates for those worst hit by Winter Storm Alfred in late October

HARTFORD — Under pressure from consumers and state officials, Northeast Utilities has created a $30 million fund to institute a rebate program for Connecticut Light & Power customers who were without electricity for more than a week after Winter Storm Alfred on Oct. 29. Customers can call 888-566-9257 or visit CL&P’s website (www.cl-p.com) to apply for at least $100 and as much as $200 in credit for loss of power during the week of Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. Any CL&P customers who were still without power at noon on Nov. 5 are eligible. CL&P will donate as much as $5 million to the Connecticut Food Bank, Foodshare and Operation Fuel. Each organization will initially receive $1 million with additional funds determined at the close of the fund in January. Complaints from consumers, lawmakers and the governor’s office over CL&P’s response to Winter Storm Alfred resulted in the resignation of the company’s president and CEO Jeffrey Butler last month, along with an investigation into the statewide response to the massive power outage, which affected 831,000 of the company’s 1.2 million customers. In the worst-hit areas of the state, including areas of Northwest Connecticut, it took 13 days to restore power to all customers.All applications for rebates must be received by 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2012. Credits will begin to be applied to the customer’s February billing statement. No release of legal claims is required to receive compensation.