New Yorkers Paying More For Heat This Winter-There’s Help

Have you seen your National Grid bill lately? It feels like every month it keeps going up, even when we think we are using less. The good news is that there is some help available.

The gas and electric price increase is just a month in, but households in the Capital Region may qualify for assistance thanks to a state program that has recently been expanded. More people across New York State can now get help, even if they did not qualify before.

For National Grid customers who heat their homes with natural gas, bills could be about ten percent higher than last year. On average, National Grid estimates that a winter heating bill, covering November through March, will be around seven hundred twenty-six dollars. That is sixty-six dollars more than last winter, assuming normal weather.

The Energy Affordability Program is designed to make sure gas and electric bills do not take up more than six percent of a household’s monthly income. Before, only families making less than around forty-eight thousand dollars could qualify. Now, the income limit has been raised to the state’s median income of seventy-nine thousand five hundred fifty-seven dollars.

Depending on your income, the program could reduce your monthly bill by $2, $6, or $13. Most households with incomes above $48,000 will see a smaller discount, while those already in the program will continue to receive the larger one.

It might not seem like a huge amount, but with National Grid planning to raise bills by about twenty-two dollars a month for the average customer, every bit of help can make a difference.