As energy costs continue to rise, Con Edison is urging customers to enroll in its Energy Affordability Program — saying it can save up to $158 on monthly bills.
The program serves low-income New Yorkers who receive government assistance benefits, such as Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and limits customers’ utility costs to just 6% of their average annual income.
“Con Edison’s Clean Energy Commitment prioritizes energy affordability, especially for those customers most vulnerable to rising costs,” said Michele O’Connell, senior vice president of Customer Operations for Con Edison. “The EAP is just one of the many ways we can help New Yorkers keep energy affordable. We encourage any customer struggling to pay their energy bill to reach out to us. There is help.”
Signing up is made easy on Con Ed’s website, where eligible customers are required to prove that they are receiving one or more qualifying government benefits. From there, customers will begin seeing their bills lowered each month.
The company will also send those enrolled in the program a letter each month, along with their bill, detailing the savings they’ve received for that billing period.
Assistance programs like these are especially helpful in the summer months, when New Yorkers tend to rely on energy-sucking air conditioning to keep cool.
The program is also attractive with rates having just gone up.
The state Public Service Commission recently approved a rate hike for Con Edison customers that use over 600 kilowatts per hour per month, which went into effect this month — and has led to an average price increase of around 9.1% for electricity, and 8.4% for gas on monthly bills.
In addition to the Energy Affordability Program, Con Edison also touts other programs that help low-income individuals.
Last year alone, Con Ed, which provides electricity to approximately 3.6 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, along with gas service to nearly 1.1 million homes in the region, has helped facilitate aid to more than 341,000 residential customers and 30,000 small businesses through the New York State Electric and Gas Bill Relief Program — a program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provides grants to low-income electric and natural gas utility customers who have fallen behind on their bills.
On top of that, the company also provides payment plans, which can help ease the cost of energy during periods of sudden financial hardship by paying for energy over an extended period of time.
To check if you qualify for the Energy Affordability Program, or to sign up, head to Con Ed’s website.
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