PG&E To Welcome The "Year Of The Snake" With Chinese-American Communities

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced it will be participating in two San Francisco Lunar New Year festivals, where it will provide Bay Area Chinese-American communities with information on the utility's financial assistance, energy efficiency and scholarship programs. In addition, the utility today launched its weekly Twitter post in Chinese.

"Lunar New Year is a special time of renewal and giving thanks, during which we sweep away the misfortunes of the past in order to welcome prosperity, good luck, and excellent health for the future," said Fong Wan, senior vice president of Energy Procurement at PG&E and sponsoring officer for PG&E's InspirAsian Employee Resource Group (ERG). "PG&E is honored to join Chinese-American communities in celebrating this significant occasion. We would also like to use this opportunity to better engage our Chinese customers on various energy-saving tips through social media."

PG&E's volunteers and members of its InspirAsian ERG will be available to answer questions and provide information about various PG&E programs at the Chinese New Year Community Fair on Saturday, February 23 in San Francisco's Chinatown District, and at the Chinese New Year Parade that evening in downtown San Francisco.

These events reflect PG&E's longstanding commitment to reach its diverse customers in the communities where they work and live. Through advertising in Chinese language media, appearing at regional cultural events and working with local groups, the utility shares information on safety, cost saving and scholarships.  The direct outreach not only helps critical material reach insular members of the community, but also provides economic benefits to a range of Chinese owned businesses and organizations.

PG&E also launched a weekly Twitter post in Chinese to help customers learn how to sign up for different energy efficiency programs, save energy and lower their energy bills. Currently, the utility posts a Facebook message in Spanish every Monday.

PG&E has served and engaged with California's Asian-American communities for more than 100 years. They in turn have played a major role in determining how the company delivers services to its customers. PG&E recognized the importance of in-language services a century ago when it opened its first payment office in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1905.

In addition, PG&E's customer service hotline provides support in 190 languages through over-the-phone interpretation services. PG&E also launched a Chinese web site (www.pge.com/chinese) to improve access for non-English speaking customers to information on energy saving programs, environmental stewardship, financial assistance, and much more.

For information on PG&E's diversity and inclusion efforts and the company's supplier diversity program, visit www.pge.com/about/company/diversityinclusion/.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ or www.pgecurrents.com.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)