Money Available to Help Pay PSE Bills
Even with the approach of summer, financial assistance from Puget Sound Energy remains available through PSE’s HELP (Home Energy Lifeline Program) program to eligible customers in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties who need assistance paying their PSE electric and natural gas bills. Depending on income and household size, a qualified PSE customer can receive up to $750 in PSE utility-bill credits.
“We want people to know there’s still money available in the HELP fund to assist with payment of their PSE utility bills,” said Larry Williams, executive director of the Central Area Motivational Program (CAMP), Seattle’s community action agency. “During these hard economic times, HELP lessens the hardship many people face.”
Since October 2007, CAMP already has helped 689 Seattle households with their PSE natural gas bills. Williams predicts the agency’s remaining $200,000 in this year’s HELP fund could assist an additional 530 households.
“While our customers saw lower natural gas bills this past winter, due to a 13-percent rate drop that went into effect last October, this spring’s stretch of cool days and rising prices almost everywhere have increased the need to help customers throughout the region pay their utility bills,” said Agnes Barard, PSE director for Customer Care.
PSE’s HELP fund is administered by local energy-assistance agencies in each county. In 2007, the fund assisted nearly 18,000 families in 11 counties. This year the agencies in eight counties have exhausted their HELP funds, still leaving the door open to helping eligible families in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties pay their PSE electric and natural gas bills.
PSE’s toll-free phone line, 1-866-223-5425 (with recordings in English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, and Vietnamese) and Web site, www.PSE.com provide the local phone number of the energy-assistance office in each county PSE serves.
To make an appointment to ask for HELP assistance, PSE customers can contact the energy-assistance office nearest them.
Central Area Motivation Program – Seattle 1-800-348-7144 Multi-Service Center for South King County 1-800-348-7144 Hopelink for North and East King County 1-800-348-7144 Pierce County Department of Community Services 1-800-348-7144 Metropolitan Development Council-Tacoma 253-572-5557 Snohomish County Human Service Department 425-388-3880
About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and 735,000 natural gas customers, primarily in western Washington. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE:PSD), meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit PSE.com.
About PSE’s HELP Program
Puget Sound Energy’s HELP Program provides additional bill-payment assistance (beyond the federal LIHEAP program) to qualified PSE customers. Eligible customers can receive up to $750 per year in credits to lower their electricity or natural gas bills. Depending on the county in which you live, the maximum household income for eligibility ranges between 125 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. HELP assistance is offered year-round to eligible customers.