Low Income and Assistance Programs

Please see the programs below to find out how to enroll in low income programs or get assistance paying your utility bill.

California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) - Provides a 20% discount on your utility bill.
The Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) - Bills some of your electricity usage at a lower rate.
Energy Savings Assistance Program - Provides no-cost weatherization services.
Discounts, Payment Plans, and Assistance Paying Your Bill - Some utilities offer payment assistance programs for their customers.
Medical Baseline - Extra allowances of energy are billed at the lowest rate for customers who rely on medical-related equipment.
Federal Low-Income Programs - Administered by the Department of Community Services and Development (CSD)
Low Income Oversight Board - Advises the CPUC on low income issues.

Program Reporting

The IOUs are required to submit monthly program reports to the CPUC. These monthly reports provide ESAP and CARE results and expenditures for each month of program activity. Reports submitted prior to 2013 can be found at www.liob.org .

Measurement and Evaluation

The Low Income proceeding includes four distinct evaluations that will conclude by August 31, 2013:

2013-2014 Low Income Needs Assessment Study
2013-2014 Energy Savings Assistance Program Impact Evaluation
Energy Savings Assistance Program Energy Education Study
Energy Savings Assistance Program Multifamily Segment Study

Research plans, draft reports and other materials relevant to these projects will be posted here. Energy Division will also post such materials and seek public comments on specific evaluation-related documents on the CPUC Public Document Area at www.energydataweb.com .

For evaluations conducted during previous program cycles, please visit www.liob.org .

Workshops and Stakeholder Meetings

For the 2012-2014 program cycle, Energy Division anticipates significant stakeholder input regarding program implementation and evaluation. Information and materials relevant to public workshops and stakeholder meetings will be posted