As Heating Season Ends, PSEG Long Island Reminds Customers Financial Assistance is Still Available
Nearly 40,000 customers receive monthly bill discount based on enrollment in benefit programs
UNIONDALE, N.Y., March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- While heating season is drawing to a close and related New York State assistance programs are drawing down the remainder of their funds, PSEG Long Island reminds customers struggling with their bills that they can apply for the company's Household Assistance Program year-round. Customers can call PSEG Long Island's Advocacy Hotline for assistance with applying: 631-755-3407.
Nearly 40,000 residential customers are currently on the Household Assistance Program, which offers a monthly bill discount of $45 to households that are enrolled in certain state or federal assistance programs or meet other eligibility standards. More information, including an online application, is available at psegliny.com/advocacy.
"PSEG Long Island knows that some customers struggle with their electric bills, and we work hard to provide them the support they need," said Brigitte Wynn, director of Revenue Operations. "We host tables at libraries and community events, we email and mail potentially eligible customers, we call customers and walk them through the application. We even train organizations to help their clients with the application and work with the local Department of Social Services to partner for outreach. While we are able to automatically enroll many customers who qualify for the Household Assistance Program, we are standing by and ready to assist eligible customers who are not yet enrolled."
Assistance available to those struggling with bills
PSEG Long Island wants to work with any customer struggling to pay their bills and help them find a solution. The company encourages anyone with a past-due account balance to call 1-800-490-0025 so a representative can help them develop a deferred payment agreement tailored to the needs of their household.
PSEG Long Island also offers its Residential Energy Affordability Partnership Program, a free program for income-eligible customers designed to help them save energy and lower their energy bills. A REAP technician will visit a customer's home to conduct a free home energy survey and may install energy-saving measures. To learn more, visit psegliny.com/reap.
Additionally, PSEG Long Island wants to make customers aware of the heating-related financial assistance programs offered by New York State:
- The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can provide a heating fuel grant to eligible homeowners and renters depending on income, household size and how they heat their home. A family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $6,390 and still qualify for benefits. This benefit opened Nov. 1, 2024. For more information, visit https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/.
- Emergency HEAP, a subset of the HEAP program, offers eligible customers a grant to help low- and middle-income New Yorkers avoid having their home heating disconnected or if they are running low or are out of their deliverable heat source (i.e. fuel oil, kerosene or propane). This emergency portion of HEAP opened Jan. 2, 2025. If customers are experiencing an emergency, they can apply for this benefit by reaching out to their local Department of Social Services location, which can be found here: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/
- For low-income households facing no-heat situations, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is also accepting applications for its heating equipment repair or replacement benefit. Eligible homeowners can now apply for up to $4,000 for repair or $8,000 for replacement of a furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment necessary to keep the household's primary heating source working. Additionally, eligible households can receive energy efficiency services, which includes the cleaning of primary heating equipment to allow for its safe and efficient operation. Customers can apply for this benefit by reaching out to their local Department of Social Services location, which can be found here: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/
Customers who apply for and receive one of these state or federal benefits are automatically placed on PSEG Long Island's Household Assistance Program.
How customers can lower their bills
The most effective thing customers can do to lower their bills is to use electricity more efficiently. Here are some helpful tips:
- Seal windows and doorframes with weather stripping or caulk, and remove or cover window air conditioners to help to prevent drafts that waste energy and money.
- Ceiling fans can be used to save energy in winter. Setting a fan to rotate clockwise on low pulls cool air toward the ceiling, pushing warm air down into a room.
- Lower your thermostat by just one degree to potentially reduce your heating bill. Lowering it two degrees during the day and five to 10 degrees at night will save even more.
- Use a programmable thermostat to automatically manage your home's heating and cooling needs. ENERGY STAR® estimates that homes with high heating and cooling bills, as well as homes that are unoccupied for much of the day, can save approximately $100 a year with an ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostat. In addition, PSEG Long Island offers rebates on smart thermostats.
- Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs since, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 15% of the electricity used in the home, and LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer.
- Install timers and motion detectors to automatically manage indoor and outdoor lighting and help ensure lights are not on when they're not needed.
- Reduce "phantom power" by using energy efficient power strips or unplugging electronic devices when they're not in use. Items plugged into outlets use electricity even when they're turned off.
- Customers on Time-of-Day rates can run the dishwasher, clothes dryer and other high-energy-use appliances outside of peak hours.
- Customers on Time-of-Day rates can charge electric vehicles to run outside of peak hours.
- Install a high efficiency air source heat pump (ASHP) to lower energy usage, save money and provide greater comfort in cold and hot months. Rebates are available from PSEG Long Island's Home Comfort Program for ducted ASHP units and ductless mini split systems. Additionally, PSEG Long Island's Home Comfort Plus program offers enhanced rebates for customers who meet certain income qualifications.
More money-saving ideas and rebate information are available at psegliny.com/saveenergyandmoney/energystarrebates.
PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority's transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.
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