SAN JUAN, PR October 24, 2022 – In response to power outages after Category 1 Hurricane Fiona plunged the archipelago into darkness, Puerto Rican non-profit Apagón launched a funding campaign on Patreon to expand its app’s offerings and empower the consumer, allowing users to report, track and challenge their electric consumption.
Once Fiona hit the island and the recently privatized power company, LUMA, removed outage data from its website, downloads of the Apagón app, available on iOS and Android devices, spiked by 21,000%.
“Ever since the power distribution and transmission were taken from the public utility and awarded to a private company, transparency, honesty, and accuracy have been lacking for subscribers who demand accountability,” Héctor Tarrido-Picart, Apagon Founder and Developer, said.
“Additionally, LUMA only provides estimates of your power usage, not an actual number, and refuses to check consumers' power meters for accuracy. Apagón is here to fix that,” he said.
With Apagón, consumers can report when their power is out and generate an easy-to-read bill of their monthly energy consumption. With this information, consumers can contest their accounts and demand an accurate reading of their bills, potentially saving hundreds of dollars annually.
Apagon’s development team is 100% volunteer-driven. It needs this funding to scale its app’s capabilities and server use and provide Puerto Ricans with desperately needed service.
About Apagón LLC
Apagón LLC is a non-profit organization founded and developed by Boricuas living in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora. The Apagón App is a free tool that was created after Hurricanes Irma and María in 2018 to help the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) locate power outages.
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