DDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Californians have fallen behind on their electric, water and sewage bills due to job losses, business closures and other hardships in the United States.
Fortunately, if you need help paying your overdue bills, money is available.
Several new programs with billions of dollars in financial relief that specifically address utility bill debt that customers have racked up during the pandemic have recently been approved by the State of California using federal funds.
What is LIHEAP?
California’s Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has been around for a long time, but it recently received nearly $500 million in new funding from the federal government.
LIHEAP’s goal is to help low-income households who spend a large portion of their income on energy, provided they complete an application process.
This goal is supported by a number of program components, including the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) which provides one-time financial assistance to help balance their utility bill.
LIHEAP Weatherization provides low-income households with free energy efficiency upgrades to reduce their monthly utility bills and improve the health and safety of the people who live there.
What is ECIP?
In times of crisis, low-income households receive assistance from the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP), which is most often applied when a household receives a 24-48 hour disconnection notice or termination. service from his utility company.
What other energy bill assistance programs are there in California?
California energy utility customers will be eligible for financial assistance from the CAPP program, which is administered by the California Department of Community Services and Development (CSD), and uses nearly $1 billion in federal funds to repay Californians’ energy debts. between March 4, 2020 and June 15, 2021.
The CAPP program does not require utility customers to apply for assistance and, depending on the availability of funds and the combined needs of all utility customers, a credit may be applied to all or part of the utility bill. a customer if their account is eligible and is 60 days or more behind on payments.