Residential
Assistance Programs
Assistance for Businesses | Assistance for Residents
State Energy Programs
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funded by the federal Department
of Health and Human Services (DHHS), assists eligible low-income households
in meeting the heating or cooling portion of their residential energy
needs and weatherizing their homes to make them more energy efficient.
In San José, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs are currently administered by the Community Action Agency of Santa Mateo County, Inc. (CAASM) CAASM has been awarded the LIHEAP contract to provide energy bill payment assistance and weatherization services for qualified low-income residents of Santa Clara County.
A toll-free telephone number (1-866-205-2388) is available to request the LIHEAP applications for energy bill payment assistance, only. There is an automated message requesting callers to leave their name, address and telephone number. A LIHEAP application packet will be mailed to them to complete and submit through the mail. The proper address to submit applications and other correspondence for Santa Clara County service is: Community Action, 55 Bryant Street #331, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
You may qualify for assistance if your household’s total gross monthly income does not exceed the income guidelines listed below. The household’s income must be verified to receive assistance (guidelines valid through 12/31/09).
Number of Persons in Household Total Combined Annual Income
- 1 Person Household: $29,172.52
- 2 Persons: $38,148.68
- 3 Persons: $47,124.84
- 4 Persons: $56,101.00
- 5 Persons: $65,077.16
- 6 Persons: $74,053.32
Add $1,683.03 for each additional household member.
Balanced Payment Plan - The Balanced Payment Plan helps eliminate big swings in your payments by averaging your energy costs over the year. For more information, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.
California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) - CARE provides a 20% discount on monthly energy gas and electric rates to income qualified households, certain non-profit organizations and facilities housing agricultural employees. To receive CARE rates, the household's income must be verified. Certain PG&E metering restrictions may apply. To learn more about CARE and to download an application, please visit the company's website at www.pge.com/care or call 1-866-PGE-CARE.
The new income guidelines (valid through May 2010) based on pre-tax annual income are as follows:
- 1-2 Person Household: $30,500
- 3 persons: $35,800
- 4 persons: $43,200
- 5 persons: $50,600
- 6 persons: $58,000
- 7 persons: $65,400
- 8 persons: $72,800
- 9 persons: $80,200
- 10 persons: $87,600
Add $7,400 for each additional household member.
Chinese 1-800-893-9555 Spanish 1-800-660-6789 Vietnamese 1-800-298-8438
Services for Medical Baseline and Life Support Customers - Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Medical Baseline Program provides additional quantities of energy at the lowest (baseline) price to residential customers with certain medical conditions. Customers dependent on life-support equipment and those with special heating or cooling needs may be eligible to receive a standard medical baseline quantity of approximately 500 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity and/or 25 therms of gas per month at the lowest price, in addition to standard baseline quantities. To qualify for medical baseline, a licensed California doctor must certify that a full-time resident in your home is:
- Dependent on life-support equipment used in the home.
- A paraplegic, hemiplegic, quadriplegic or multiple sclerosis patients with special heating and/or cooling needs.
- A scleroderma patient with special heating needs.
- Being treated for a life-threatening illness or compromised immune system with special heating and/or cooling requirements to sustain the patient's life or prevent deterioration of the patient's medical conditions.
Other medical conditions may qualify if the condition requires special heating or cooling essential to sustain the patient's life (as determined by a licensed doctor). Tell Pacific Gas and Electric Company (and apply for medical baseline) if you or a full-time resident in your home is dependent on life-support equipment so they can place a special code on your account.
Download and print the fact sheet and application from PG&E’s website:
http://www.pge.com/medicalbaseline
Mail the completed and signed application to:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Attention: Medical Baseline
P.O. Box 8329
Stockton, CA 95208
For more information, call PG&E at:
English: 1 (800) 743-5000
Spanish: 1 (800) 660-6789 (Spanish)
Chinese: 1 (800) 893-9555 (Chinese).
Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD): 1 (800) 652-4712
Energy Partner Program - The Energy Partner Program provides free weatherization for qualified low-income renters and homeowners with possible refrigeration replacement and other energy saving benefits. To qualify:
- Your household's total annual gross income must not exceed our income guidelines. (view Income qualification chart.)
- You must receive gas and/or electricity from Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
- Your residence did not participate in the Energy Partners Program in the past 10 years.
Call PG&E at 1-800-933-9555.
Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) - REACH provides one-time financial assistance to those customers who have no other way to pay their energy bill. REACH has been established to assist low-income households, elderly, disabled, sick, working poor and the unemployed, who experience severe hardship and are unable to pay for their necessary energy needs. REACH is administered through the Salvation Army from 170 offices in northern and central California. For more information about REACH call the Salvation Army at 1-800-933-9677, or locally at 408-282-1165.
Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) - FERA is Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s rate reduction program for large households of three or more people with low- to middle-income. This program is available to single-family customers who have their own PG&E accounts or to tenants metered or billed by their landlord—including residents of mobile home parks, sub-metered apartments and marinas—may be eligible for this FERA Program. Tenants must re-apply every year and residential single-family must re-apply every two years.
General Information on Energy
For tips on saving energy in your home, visit our Energy Efficiency page or call San Jose's Call Center at 408-535-3500 for assistance, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Also, the California Energy Commission has information on energy savings tips, electricity questions, solar and alternative sources of energy. They can be reached at: 1-800-555-7794 inside California.
Updated 7-15-09 |
