If you do not qualify for a low-income program, contact your electric or gas utility to learn about deferred payment arrangements. Are there any payment assistance programs available to me if I don't qualify as low-income? If your household income is between 60 to 80% of the state median income, you may be able to receive help from the Good Neighbor Energy Fund. To be eligible for your electric or gas utility’s low-income discount rate program or the arrearage management program (AMP), you must either qualify for LIHEAP funding, or receive food, cash, or medical benefits from the state. Income eligibility is evaluated based on your gross household income for the past 4 weeks. Many customers’ financial situations have changed during the pandemic. You may be eligible for assistance now, even if you have not been eligible in the past.ĭHCD has a toll-free hotline, 1-80, that is multi-language and will quickly direct you to your local community action agency that can help answer additional questions about eligibility and process your LIHEAP application. You can also go to find more information about your local community action agency and eligibility. This chart from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) provides more detailed household income information. If your household income is 60% or less of the state median income, you are eligible for LIHEAP. How do I know if I am eligible to receive residential electric or gas payment assistance programs? Please see below for contact numbers for each investor-owned electric and gas utility. The AGO encourages you to contact your electric or gas utility if the recent COVID-19 crisis has significantly impacted your household income because you may be newly eligible for other assistance programs. The AMP provides customers with the opportunity to have all or a portion of an arrearage (or outstanding unpaid amounts due) forgiven in exchange for payments of an amount and on a schedule designed individually for each participant. Other assistance programs for income-eligible customers are available year-round through investor-owned gas and electric utilities, including a low-income discount rate program, which helps make bills more manageable, and an arrearage management program (AMP), which helps customers who have an unpaid balance on their bill and are struggling to pay. Applications for LIHEAP for the 2022-2023 heating season can be submitted now and throughout the winter heating season. Visit here or the Cold Relief Heatline at (800) 632-8175 to find your local community action agency where you can apply for LIHEAP. LIHEAP is available this winter heating season from Novemto April 30, 2023. If you qualify as income eligible, there are several programs, including: (1) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally-funded program that helps Massachusetts residents pay their heating bills (2) the low-income discount rate program for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers and (3) arrearage management programs (AMPs) for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers. Why are electric rates going up this winter? If you are served by a municipal utility, it may or may not be shutting off customers for unpaid bills. If you receive residential electric or gas service through a municipal utility, contact them directly to find out more about their shut-off policy and to hear about available payment assistance programs. Residential customers making payments under payment plans with their investor-owned electric or gas utility will remain protected from shut-off as long as they make payments under the payment schedule. If you are a residential customer struggling to pay your utility bills, behind on your payments, or interested in more regular payments, reach out to your electric or gas utility to discuss available payment plans and payment assistance programs that may be available. In addition, payment plans are available to avoid shut off and manage utility bills. It is between November 15 and March 15 and the utility service is needed to heat your home. You have an infant under 12 months in your home Īll adults in the home are age 65 or older and a minor child resides in the home You, or someone in your home, is seriously ill If you are experiencing financial hardship and one of the following applies, your electric or gas cannot be shut off without permission from the DPU : If all residents of your home are age 65 and over, your electricity or gas cannot be shut off without permission from the Department of Public Utilities (DPU).
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