Gov. Hochul announces how New Yorkers can receive discounts on utility bills, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/gov-hochul-announces-how-new-yorkers-can-receive-discounts-on-utility-bills/ar-AA2cgMNJ?ocid=BingNewsVerp)
15-09-2026
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a major push to help millions of New Yorkers lower their electric and gas costs by expanding access and enrollment into the state’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP).Key details of the announcement include:
- Expanded Eligibility: Approximately 2.5 million additional New York households are now eligible for monthly utility bill discounts. With these updated income thresholds, nearly half of all households across the state qualify for relief.
- Direct Monthly Bill Credits: Enrolled households receive recurring monthly credits applied directly to their electric and natural gas bills, with discounts scaled to help keep energy costs below six percent of household income.
- How to Receive the Discounts:
- Automatic Enrollment: Many low-income residents who already participate in public assistance programssuch as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or federal housing assistanceare enrolled automatically through data-matching between state agencies and utility providers.
- Self-Enrollment: Eligible households not automatically enrolled can apply online through the state’s energy affordability portal or directly through their utility provider (such as Con Edison, National Grid, NYSEG, RG&E, Central Hudson, or Orange & Rockland) by submitting proof of income.
- Complementary Rebate Checks: The enrollment drive complements the state’s one-billion-dollar energy relief initiative, which is also sending one-time rebate checks of up to $200 to approximately 8.2 million New York households to provide immediate financial relief against high utility and energy costs.