Budget Boosters: Programs Helping Customers & Coworkers Lower, Manage Energy Bills

PG&E is focused on lowering energy costs and helping customers manage their monthly bills.  Every week, we share important information about discounts, billing assistance, and other support programs that can keep energy expenses on track.

This week, we’re spotlighting two bill assistance programs: the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program and Budget Billing.

Visit the Savings Center tab each week for additional energy and money-saving solutions.

• California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program: This is an income-qualified program, which offers a monthly discount of 20% or more on gas and electricity. You can qualify by meeting income guidelines or enrolling in certain public assistance programs. Participants are required to renew their eligibility every two years. If you are on a fixed income, you must renew your eligibility every four years.

You may qualify for the CARE program if you or someone in your household takes part in any of the following public assistance programs:

• • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  • CalFresh/SNAP (Food Stamps)
  • CalWORKs (TANF) or Tribal TANF
  • Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Medi-Cal for Families (Healthy Families A & B)
  • National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
  • Medicaid/Medi-Cal (under age 65)
  • Medicaid/Medi-Cal (age 65 and over)

• Budget Billing: This is a free program available to residential and small business customers to help get more control of monthly energy bills and reduce seasonal spikes. This program averages your energy costs over the previous 12 months to determine your monthly payment amount, making them more predictable. If your actual energy costs change significantly, we adjust your monthly Budget Billing payment amount once every 4 months. We recommend you stay enrolled in this program for at least a year to see the maximum benefits, but you can opt out at any time. You can enroll through your online account or call 1-800-743-5000.

For more ways to manage your monthly bills, visit: pge.com/billhelp.