Bill-payment assistance available for PSE customers

March 2, 2018 4:00 pm

After experiencing some of the lowest February temperatures on record, Puget Sound Energy has announced that customer help is available to pay their heating bills.

More than $10 million remains available to income-eligible households that need assistance with their bills. More than 18,625 PSE customers already have received a total of $8.1 million this winter through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, and from PSE’s Home Energy Lifeline Program, or HELP.

“PSE is committed to helping families in need,” Greg Zeller, PSE’s director of customer care, said in a press release. “Customers may be dealing with higher energy bills during these winter months, and we want them to know that they may qualify for bill-payment assistance as well as weatherization grants. We encourage anyone who is income-eligible to contact their community agency to apply for this available assistance.”

Depending on income and household size, a qualified recipient can receive up to $1,000 from PSE’s HELP. A family of four with a monthly net income of $3,075 is eligible for HELP funds.

PSE also provides weatherization funds to income-eligible households who heat their primary space and water with electricity or natural gas.

A family of four with a monthly gross income of $4,337 is eligible for weatherization grants to install effective home energy efficiency upgrades, including insulation, sealing of leaks around windows and doors and seams in heating ducts. The average weatherization assistance grant for PSE households is nearly $3,000.

Another program, The Salvation Army Warm Home Fund, helps PSE customers who need emergency, short-term utility bill assistance. Through voluntary contributions from PSE customers and employees, the fund this winter already has reached the largest amount raised since it began in 1982.

So far, the Warm Home Fund has raised more than $704,000 and served more than 2,700 households. PSE customers should contact their nearest Salvation Army district office for more information about the Warm Home Fund.

For information about qualifying for bill-payment and weatherization assistance grants, PSE customers are able to call 1-866-223-5425 for contact information about their community assistance agency, also here on PSE’s website.