Winter’s control over upstate New York continues and National Grid reminds its customers to take advantage of programs that can help them pay and manage their winter energy bills as part of its Winter Customer Savings Initiative.

“The impact of higher energy supply costs is being felt by our customers, especially as other household expenses increase,” Melanie Littlejohn, vice president of customer and community engagement for National Grid, said. “It’s why we have actively communicated with customers to discuss affordability and energy efficiency programs, and created new means of aiding vulnerable customers who don’t always qualify for traditional support programs.”

Since early September, National Grid has been promoting bill management programs and solutions to ensure customers have time to take advantage of all available services and tools that can help them save money on winter energy bills. Global conflicts, inflationary pressures and high demand have increased energy supply prices this winter. National Grid buys energy on behalf of customers from the wholesale market and passes on those costs without any markup or profit; customers pay what National Grid pays for that energy.

National Grid has regional Consumer Advocates who work one-on-one with customers experiencing financial difficulties. This team works with income-eligible and vulnerable customers to meet their home energy needs and can be reached at 1-800-642-4272 or by emailing ConsumerAdvocatesUNY@nationalgrid.com.

Affordability Programs for Low-Income Customers

The primary affordability program for income-eligible customers is the Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance for home heating costs as well as emergency funds for eligible households experiencing a heating or heat-related emergency.

HEAP funding programs are limited and made available on a first-come, first-served basis. HEAP is not a loan; it’s a benefit available to customers who meet specific eligibility requirements. Customers are urged to apply as soon as possible, as program dates may be shortened or extended based on federal funding and demand. HEAP programs include:

• Regular HEAP, which is scheduled to run through March 15, 2023. Qualification is based on household size and income. Apply online for Regular HEAP at mybenefits.ny.gov or through your HEAP Local District Contact. Customers 60 or older can apply through their county’s Office for the Aging.
• Emergency HEAP is scheduled to run through March 15, 2023. Qualification is based on household size and income. To apply, customers must be disconnected, disconnect-eligible or have a utility shut-off notice. National Grid customers requiring electricity to operate heating systems can apply for a Domestic Electric Emergency HEAP grant. Customers must apply by telephone or in person through your HEAP Local District Contact. Customers 60 or older can apply through their county’s Office for the Aging.

Additionally, HEAP has a heating equipment repair and replacement benefit that can help homeowners repair or replace their furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment necessary for keeping their home’s primary heating source working. Benefit amounts are based on the actual cost to repair or replace the equipment and provide up to $4,000 for a repair or $8,000 for a replacement. Customers must apply by telephone or in person through your HEAP Local District Contact.

Customers who receive HEAP funding are automatically enrolled in National Grid’s Energy Affordability Program. This program provides monthly bill credits above and beyond what the customer receives from HEAP. Customers may also qualify for the EAP by participating in qualifying programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, qualifying veterans’ pensions, or Native American benefit programs administered by federal or tribal governments. To learn more about the program and eligibility, or to apply, call 1-866-305-1915 or email affordability@nationalgrid.com.

National Grid’s Care and Share fuel fund is administered by HeartShare Human Services of New York. The program, which opens in February, provides an annual $200 grant to National Grid customers who meet HEAP guidelines and have exhausted their HEAP allocation for the year. For information on the program, call 1-855-852-2736 or visit the organization’s website at heartshare.org.

Expanding the Safety Net

Many customers find themselves facing financial hardship this winter, but just miss the income limit for HEAP. This winter, National Grid established two new programs to help, making it the first energy delivery company in New York state to provide assistance to low-to-moderate income customers. Applications for the Hope & Warmth Energy Fund and Hearts Fighting Hunger programs opened Dec.15, 2022 and will close when funding is exhausted. National Grid committed $6 million in shareholder funds to support these and other programs, which are expected to benefit more than 31,500 New York households.

The Hope & Warmth Energy Fund will provide emergency financial assistance to National Grid’s vulnerable customers who have an income above the HEAP eligibility guidelines and are having difficulty paying their heat-related energy bills. Eligible customers will receive one $200 grant during the winter-heating season. To qualify, an applicant must:

• Have an active National Grid account in their name.
• Meet NYSERDA's Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star income guidelines.
• Reside in a one- or two-family home.
• Have a valid National Grid disconnect notice.

Hearts Fighting Hunger offers one-time emergency food assistance in the form of a $150 grocery store gift card/food voucher to eligible National Grid New York customers with a past-due account and a vulnerable household member. Customers who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits are not eligible for this program. To qualify for Hearts Fighting Hunger, applicants must:

• Have an active National Grid account in their name that is in arrears.
• Meet NYSERDA's Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star income guidelines.
• Have a vulnerable household member such as a disabled person, a child under the age of 18, or a resident over the age of 62.

New York State COVID-Related Arrears Relief Program

National Grid non-EAP residential and small business customers with a past-due balance prior to May 2, 2022, may be eligible for a one-time arrears relief bill credit through a benefit recently approved by the New York State Department of Public Service. This second phase of the state’s arrears relief program will provide up to $2,750 in relief through a one-time bill credit to residential customers with overdue balances through May 1, 2022, who did not qualify for relief under the first phase of arrears relief, which provided a bill credit to low-income customers in the company’s EAP. Phase one concluded in December 2022. Customers who had service terminated in 2022 for non-payment, and did not receive benefits from the first phase, may be eligible to have their account reinstated through June 30, 2023, and receive the bill credit.

Phase 2 also provides assistance to certain small commercial customers, who would receive up to $4,750 in relief for arrears accumulated through May 1, 2022. To qualify, small commercial customers must receive electric service on a non-residential service class with a combined average monthly billed demand below 20 kilowatts or any single demand below 40 kilowatts. Small commercial gas customers using less than 750 therms of gas per year are eligible.

The Department of Public Service requires New York energy delivery companies  to apply the one-time bill credits for eligible residential and small commercial customers, other than those who may seek to have their account reinstated, by April 19, 2023.

National Grid estimates that approximately 70,000 customers in upstate New York may qualify for the Phase 2 arrears relief program, receiving approximately $88 million in relief for arrears accumulated through May 1, 2022.

Bill Management Programs

Bill management programs are available and may assist all National Grid customers during the winter heating season. Customers can take advantage of the company’s Budget Billing Plan, which spreads customer energy costs evenly over 12 months to make payments more predictable and mitigate months of higher usage. Additional payment options are available at www.ngrid.com/discount.

Information Available in Multiple Languages

Since March 2022, National Grid’s consumer advocates have provided assistance to more than 16,000 New York households. National Grid has Spanish-speaking consumer advocates available to assist customers, who can be reached by phone at 1-800-642-4272 or by email at ConsumerAdvocatesUNY@nationalgrid.com. In addition, translation services are available by phone for more than 120 languages and dialects.

Spanish and Chinese speaking customers may now find the cost-saving and energy efficiency resources in their favored language at ngrid.com/heretohelp. Translation to more than 60 languages is available on National Grid’s website by visiting nationalgridus.com, scrolling to the bottom of the page and choosing from the Select Languages dropdown box.

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