Clock Is Ticking: $10M Available To Help SDG&E Customers With Past-Due Energy Bills

By Editor, Times of San Diego

February 13, 2023

Under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), about $10 million is available to help San Diego Gas & Electric customers who are past due on their bills.

About $7 million of the amount from the federal program was allocated for 2021-2022 and is expected to expire by June 30.

Individuals and families who qualify may receive assistance ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars depending on their income, household size and past-due balance.

Over the past year, SDG&E has worked with two local nonprofit organizations to help process $5.5 million in LIHEAP payments, offseting overdue balances for about 7,200 customers.

With the expiration date looming, SDG&E again will host program specialists from the nonprofit Campesinos Unidos, Inc. (CUI) at its Escondido branch office, 644 West Ave. in the coming weeks to guide customers through the application process.

To learn about CUI’s future visits to SDG&E branch offices, visit sdge.com/LIHEAP.

The Campesinos office in San Diego, 885 Gateway Center Way, Suite 103, also processes applications by appointment, from 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

An additional local nonprofit, the MAAC Project, helps residents in San Diego County with LIHEAP applications.

Those who are intersted also may call 211 San Diego for more information about LIHEAP and other utility assistance programs, including Neighbor-to-Neighbor, California Alternative Rates for Energy (CARE) and Family Electric Rates Assistance (FERA).

Congress appropriated an additional $203 million in LIHEAP funding for California under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 to address the continued impacts of COVID-19.

The funding is administered by the California Department of Community Services and Development, which contracts with community-based organizations to manage the application process.

Any legal U.S. resident who meets the income guidelines and is responsible for energy costs in a residence may be eligible. Families of four, for instance, with incomes of less than $5,193 per month, may qualify.

LIHEAP funds designated for the San Diego region that are not exhausted by June 30 will be returned to the state.

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