It's not too late: Utility payment programs remain available for income-qualified customers

Programs also available for customers experiencing heating emergencies

Submitted by National Grid

With the temperature dropping in recent days, National Grid is reminding its Western New York customers they can take advantage of energy saving programs to manage and pay their winter energy bills.

The regular arrears supplements program provides grants through the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, which offers financial assistance to make home heating costs more affordable for income-eligible customers. These grants, which are expected to be available through September, cover past-due utility payments up to $10,000 for customers who meet eligibility requirements. Qualification is based on household size and income, and customers must have past-due utility payments. To apply, customers can contact their HEAP local district contact. Additionally, eligible senior citizens can apply through their county’s Office for the Aging.

HEAP also makes emergency funds available for eligible households that are experiencing a heating or heat-related emergency. Programs are limited and made available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional Resources

National Grid customers who receive HEAP funding are automatically enrolled in the company’s energy affordability program, which provides monthly bill credits above and beyond what they would receive from HEAP. Customers also may qualify for the energy affordability program by participating in qualifying programs such as the 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 program eligibility, or to apply, call 1-866-305-1915 or email [email protected].

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 annual HEAP allocation. For information, call 1-855-852-2736 or visit www.heartshare.org.

Bill management plans from National Grid also may assist customers during the winter heating season. Customers may enroll in the company’s budget billing plan, which spreads monthly payments out more evenly throughout the year to mitigate months of high energy usage. Additional payment options are also available. Visit www.ngrid.com/discount to learn more.

National Grid consumer advocates work directly with income-eligible and vulnerable customers to meet their home energy needs. Call 1-800-642-4272 and ask for a consumer advocate, or email [email protected].

National Grid Awarded

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) announced National Grid as a recipient of EEI’s Emergency Response Award and Emergency Recovery Award. Presented to EEI member companies, the honors recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards are presented during EEI’s January board and CEO meeting.

National Grid received EEI’s Emergency Assistance Award for its work in New York during Hurricane Ida, and two EEI Emergency Recovery Awards for its power restoration efforts throughout Tropical Storm Henri and the October nor'easter in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“This year brought several significant storms and other extreme weather-related events that impacted many customers and communities across the nation,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said. “National Grid and its employees worked around the clock following Hurricane Ida, Tropical Storm Henri and the 2021 October nor’easter to ensure that power was restored safely and as quickly as possible. I applaud National Grid and its employees for their unwavering dedication to the customers and to the communities they so proudly serve, and I am honored to present them with these well-deserved awards.”

Despite recently experiencing some of the most impactful storms in National Grid’s service area in nearly 20 years, the company’s focus on safe and efficient restoration has only increased to meet customer expectations. National Grid’s dedicated emergency response organization works to ensure customers’ power is restored as soon as physically possible. When extreme weather hit last summer and fall, National Grid crews worked tirelessly over 18-hour shifts to restore power to our customers and communities throughout damaged areas.

“When a storm is approaching our region, our team jumps into action to make sure we are taking caring of our customers and minimizing any disruptions,” said Badar Khan, U.S. president of National Grid. “We are regularly looking at our emergency response efforts and finding ways to improve as extreme weather becomes the norm. Each storm is an opportunity to put those improvements into practice. I am proud of the work our team did this fall out of dedication to our customers, and it’s an honor for our team to be recognized by EEI.”