Special Electric Rates for CPAP Users

Does anyone know FOR SURE if having to sleep with a CPAP machine will qualify for a special rate or increased lifeline allowance in your electric rates as far as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is concerned? Has anyone been granted this privilege and honor by P G & E?? Inquiring minds want to know?????? I requested their form a while back but never had my Dr. complete it because it leads one to believe that only "life support" equipment qualifies. I think we would all agree that CPAP is life support for all of us ..... do I hear an Amen on that?

Thanks,

Doug

Funny you should ask that today as yesterday I visited the doctor to get him to sign mine. We initially had a difference of opinion on the question of "Is it life-support?".

I told him about my friend Donald Duncan Jr., who about a year ago coming home from a yo-yo meet fell asleep at the wheel. He and his wife died in the accident.

We used to tease Don about his snoring. He was famous for it. If you were in the room next to his, you were certain to hear it. I sure miss both the Duncans. I wish could still be annoyed at Don's loud snoring.

I told my doctor that I considered it life-support, not only for myself but for my wife and anyone riding with me or driving around me. He was convinced enough to keep thinking about it. So he called some of his doctor buddies and they told him that they'd signed the form for CPAP users. So he decided to sign mine.

When I got the form from PG&E, the PG&E person I talked with told me to put down "IPPB machine" instead of CPAP because PG&E is clueless about CPAPs and the IPPB machine is similar and they do know about it.

I wish you the best of luck.

"Is it life-support?"

Can you live WITH-OUT it?

Yes, I think you can.

Can you die if you don't use it.

Possible, but.............not as probable as someone who needs a respirator (IPPB) to stay alive. That would seem like life-support to me.

I think you are looking for a free ride on your neighbors, and fellow Californians. Whats next, having your insurance company pay for the electric to run the cpap. Will the insurance company pay for the distilled water for the humidifier. Mild dishsoap to wash the mask?

Come on guys, get real. Let the people who really need the help, get it.

Like MartiniLover says: "Come on guys, get real!"

If this really was "life-support" we would all have a multi-night fail-safe battery back-up system. Get yourselves a battery if power reliability is your main concern.

And a rate adjustment??? A CPAP uses a small fraction of the power of a light-bulb.

Thanks for the input, especially yours Kemosabe, who I might add is another fellow Californian and within the service area of P G & E and knows exactly what I am referring to. I am speaking for myself, but I assume for Kemosabe as well, we are not trying to get a free ride for anything or on anyone. The offer was made by P. G. & E., but the specifics were not clearly spelled out ..... not even when you call and talk to their personnel as was mentioned by Kemosabe (IPPB vs. CPAP). It wasn't until I received their form that SOME of the details were mentioned. That is what prompted the question via this forum in the first place. It wasn't my intention to get into a mud slinging contest with anyone and I respectfully apologize for anyone's intelligence that I might have insulted.

D.

I too am a customer of PG&E in CA. I too am a XPAP user. What I am not is a user of the "system".
I hadn't heard about their offer but even if I did it would NEVER have occured to me that XPAP qualified under this plan. The fact that XPAP is not mentioned in their literature seems to indicate it never occured to them either. Looks like you are using a "loophole" and getting it classified as an IPPB
Sit down and figure out how many KWH your XPAP takes and what percentage is that of your total KWH useage then take that percentage of the reduced rate PG&E is offering.

From DownUnder

Doug's comments seem very reasonable to me.

In Australia (not sure about all States) CPAP is considered as "life support" and is eligible for a small rebate on electricity costs plus priority attention in the case of power failure. I suffer from very severe apnea and have avoided out-of-city driving for years even though I didn't know what was causing my sleepiness. Since starting CPAP treatment I'm now back on the road (but not quite so dangerous).

Since the small electricity saving is the only assistance we get, I think that CPAP users are saving the country huge medical costs in the long run. How long before some of us would have to be hospitalized or worse still cause a road accident because of our untreated conditions.

Over here, people on very low incomes can borrow machines from the hospitals but I think they have to purchase their own mask.

Since starting treatment my electricity usage has gone up (with no other obvious reason). I hope the rebate is enough to cover it because I'm still paying off my CPAP purchases and sleep-tests.

Lyn

Unless there are other financial hardship reasons (and I don't think that's what is being addressed here) I think it is perfectly reasonable to accept a rebate for the power used BY life support equipment AND ONLY on that portion of the total power usage consumed by that equipment.
I personally have no interest in subsidizing someone's power bill to heat their hot tub, run their washer/dryer/dishwasher (for examples) just because they happen to use a CPAP machine that consumes as much power as a 100 Watt light bulb.

Alan Piombo wrote:I honestly CAN'T believe the SMALL MINDED people that insist that a SMALL rebate or discount (which it is) is ROBBING someone else by reducing their electrical rate... For Christ sake...Pick your battles more carefully nimrod (guest that's too chicken sh_t to even add the name) !! Clearly someone that doesn't know about the ABSOLUTE necessity if a CPAP machine is lucky and should just be counting blessings, not bitching about someones medical support !!

Small Rebate?? The form I saw said "The standard Medical baseline Allowance is 16.438 killowatt-hours and/or 0.82192 therms of natural gas per day" That is more than a CPAP uses in a month and in fact would cover many home's entire bill. The gas subsidy would also cover heat for a lot of homes in a mild climate. I think everyone in this forum understands the necessity of a CPAP; I don't see why that entitles someone to free gas and electricity.

If you guys are freaking about the subsidy for xPAP, you need to check out the subsidy Tesla car guys get from PG&E. And none of them need it btw.

CapnLoki wrote:

Alan Piombo wrote:I honestly CAN'T believe the SMALL MINDED people that insist that a SMALL rebate or discount (which it is) is ROBBING someone else by reducing their electrical rate... For Christ sake...Pick your battles more carefully nimrod (guest that's too chicken sh_t to even add the name) !! Clearly someone that doesn't know about the ABSOLUTE necessity if a CPAP machine is lucky and should just be counting blessings, not bitching about someones medical support !!

Small Rebate?? The form I saw said "The standard Medical baseline Allowance is 16.438 killowatt-hours and/or 0.82192 therms of natural gas per day" That is more than a CPAP uses in a month and in fact would cover many home's entire bill. The gas subsidy would also cover heat for a lot of homes in a mild climate. I think everyone in this forum understands the necessity of a CPAP; I don't see why that entitles someone to free gas and electricity.

You know this thread is 10 years old?

Bill44133 wrote:You know this thread is 10 years old?

Ooops! But, who did I replay to??

CapnLoki wrote:

Bill44133 wrote:You know this thread is 10 years old?

Ooops! But, who did I replay to??

There was actually two posts that were apparently deleted (flagged as spam) and you quoted one before it was deleted.
The one you quoted......

And, this one.....

by A P on Thu Mar 12, 2015 2:02 pm
By the way...This is the medical definition of an IPPB ... Clearly refers ALSO to CPAP and APAP machines.

intermittent positive-pressure breathing (IPPB),
a form of assisted or controlled respiration produced by a ventilatory apparatus in which air or gas is delivered under positive pressure into a person's airways until a preset pressure is reached. Passive exhalation is allowed through a valve, and the cycle begins again as the flow of gas is triggered by inhalation. Also called IPPV (intermittent positive-pressure ventilation).

Den

.

Do yourself a favor, make up a sign asking your neighbors to leave free food on your porch, by getting them to feed you to, you will never have to make your own way in the world.

Never mind it's the government's job to feed you. I forgot. Jim

Alan Piombo wrote:I honestly CAN'T believe the SMALL MINDED people that insist that a SMALL rebate or discount ....

I can't believe you drug up an ancient thread from 2005!!