Summer Support You Can Count On

Conversations with my neighbors are friendly and we tend to stick to light topics. But recently, one neighbor shared her concern about summer energy bills.  

“We can’t run the AC all day. It’s just too expensive,” she told me.  

Staying cool is necessary for your health and safety. But for the most vulnerable in our community, including families with young children, seniors and those on fixed incomes, keeping homes cool can sometimes feel like a financial stretch during the hottest months of the year. 

Fortunately, there’s more help available than many realize. PG&E has several support programs designed to keep you safe and comfortable, so you — or someone you care about — don’t fall behind while trying to beat the heat. 

Whether you need to pay a past-due bill, replace an old thermostat or air conditioning unit, or want to smooth out seasonal spikes on your energy bill, there are many ways to curb cooling costs. 

Real-time summer resources

Many of the resources PG&E provides are free! I’ve included some of the tools I’ve found to be the most helpful in my household: 

• Lowest-cost Rate: check if you’re on the lowest-cost rate plan for your household to maximize savings. Savings can vary based on customer type and energy use.  

• HomeIntel: sign up for a personal energy coach who can conduct a detailed analysis of your household’s energy use patterns, identify energy drainers and suggest some no-cost and low-cost changes to save money.  Last year, the San Francisco Chronicle profiled a Bay Area family that used the program to cut their annual bill by $1,400.. 

• Budget Billing: Budget Billing is a free program that helps you stay in control of your energy bill and avoid seasonal bill spikes. PG&E calculates your monthly payment amount based on your average energy costs over the last 12 months and adjusts your payment amount each month. 

• Home Energy Checkup: by answering a few simple questions online about your home and how you use energy, you can receive a customized list of energy and money-saving recommendations tailored to your specific household.  

• Bill Forecast Alerts: notifications that are sent by email, text or phone notifying you if your monthly bill is expected to exceed a specific amount you set, based on how you are using energy.  

Summer support programs

If you can’t quite cover an energy bill, there are several income-eligible assistance programs that can provide tangible relief.  Even if you’ve never applied before, it’s worth checking your eligibility. Recently, some criteria changed, and PG&E announced new programs. And you could be eligible for help from more than one program. 

• PG&E Match My Payment Program: offers a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $1,000, for low-to moderate-income customers to pay past-due bills. 

• PG&E Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH): offers a one-time bill credit for income-eligible customers of up to $300 based on a past-due balance. 

• California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE): offers a monthly discount of 20% on gas and an average of 35% on electricity (compared to non-CARE bundled customers).

• Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA): new guidelines provide a monthly discount of 18% on electricity, regardless of household size. 

• Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): a federally funded assistance program overseen by the state that offers a one-time payment up to $1,500 on past due bills to help low-income households pay for heating or cooling in their homes. Payments may vary by location and funding availability.   

• Energy Savings Assistance Program (ESA): provides energy-savings improvements at no charge. 

• Arrearage Management Plan (AMP): If you are enrolled in CARE or FERA, you may be eligible for up to $8,000 in debt forgiveness through AMP. 

Other programs include Medical Baseline, which offers a reduction on energy bills for those who depend on power for certain medical needs.  

Energy-incentive programs

Making energy-efficient choices can reduce your costs during the summer season. 

• Power Saver Rewards: This is a free program that rewards customers with a bill credit for temporarily reducing energy use on select summer days when the demand for electricity is high.   

• SmartRate Program: You can pay a reduced rate in exchange for minimizing your electricity usage between 4-9 p.m. when “SmartDays” are called.   

 When I shared some of these options with my neighbor, she was surprised by the range of options out there. Even if I don’t know which tools or programs she’ll use, I’m confident she’s more equipped to take charge of her energy bills this summer and can support others who may benefit. 

About the author

Adrienne Moore joined PG&E’s Marketing and Communications team in 2023. A busy mom of two boys, she is passionate about helping customers save energy and money, sharing energy efficiency tips and tools, and making bill support programs easy to understand and accessible for all. Her goal is to ensure customers feel supported when managing their energy needs.