Central Coast Energy Services

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

Provides payment assistance with home energy bills. The one time per calendar year payment varies depending on income, household size, and funding.
Households facing shutoff (customer has received 15-day or 48-hour notice) may receive immediate help at emergency service sites centrally located in San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.
Other Services: Balanced Payment Plan, Medical Baseline Program, Energy Conservation Education, Consumer Rights, Rebate Programs. See link for more information.

Eligibility: Only once per year. Eligibility depends on income, household size and funding. HEAP is determined by the last 30 days of income) Monthly income cannot exceed: (1 person $2,170; 2 person $2,838; 3 person $3,506; 4 person $4,174...

Contact Toll Free 1-888-728-3637 for hours, locations and eligibility

Application

PG&E Hardship and Payment Assistance

California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE) & Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA)

CARE: monthly discount of 20% or more on gas and electricity.
FERA: monthly discount of 18% on electricity

Eligibility:

CARE: income guidelines & enrollment in public assistance programs

FERA: Income guideline only, household must consist of 3+ people

Contact 1-866-743-2273

Email: CAREandFERA@pge.com

Online Application

Budget Billing

Free program from PG&E, you can average out your energy costs for more manageable monthly payments.
Using your energy use history, PG&E will level out your monthly payment amount, so if your energy usage changes significantly from season to season, you won’t see big spikes on your bills.

Enroll in Budget Billing

Payment Arrangements

Keep your service on by making Payment Arrangements. You can schedule payment of your current balance over several months to help manage temporary financial strains. Sign in to Your Account and scroll down to Payment Options. Select Payment Arrangement:

Installments allow you to spread your current balance over several months for up to 12 installments.
Extension lets you pay the entire amount at a later date. Simply input the date on which you want to pay the full amount.

Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH)

One-time energy credit for up to $300 through the Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) Program. This program helps you pay for energy when a sudden hardship occurs.

Eligibility: Need residential account with a utility company, demonstrate an uncontrollable or unplanned change in their ability to pay their PG&E bill, not living in subsidized housing, income must be within REACH income guidelines (cannot exceed 200% above federal poverty guidelines)

Customer must have received either a 15-day or a 48-hour disconnection notice
Can only access once every 18 months

Contact 1-800-933-9677

Online Application

California Lifeline Program

Provides discounted home phone and cell phone services to eligible households.

Eligibility: You can qualify for California LifeLine if you or another person in your household is enrolled in qualifying public assistance program (including CalFresh, WIC, Medi-Cal...etc), or if your household's total annual gross income is at or less than the set annual income limits.

If you currently do not have home or cell phone service, you can contact the California LifeLine Call Center to determine the available phone companies in your area. If you have any questions about your application, status, or due dates, please call the California LifeLine Administrator's hotline.

Contact: 1-877-858-7463

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