California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)

California Alternate Rates for Energy program offers a 30-35% discount on your electric bill and a 20% discount on your natural gas bill. For the CARE Program, electrical companies with 100,000 or more customer accounts in California offer a 30% - 35% discount as required by Public Utilities Code Section 739.1. Electrical companies with fewer than 100,000 customer accounts in California offer a 20% discount.

Apply for CARE

Please contact your utility company or check out their websites to request an application form and receive more information. The utilities we regulate are:

Phone Numbers and Websites for Energy Assistance Programs

Utility	Emergency Payment	Website
PG&E	866-743-2273	PG&E CARE
Edison	866-675-6623	Edison CARE
SDG&E	800-411-7343	SDG&E CARE
SoCalGas	800-427-2200	SoCalGas CARE
Alpine Nat’l Gas	209-772-3006	Alpine Programs
Bear Valley Elect	800-808-2837	Bear Valley CARE
PacifiCorp	888-221-7070	Pacific Corp CARE
Liberty Utilities	800-782-2506	Liberty Utilities CARE
Southwest Gas	877-860-6020	Southwest CARE
West Coast Gas	916-364-4100	West Coast CARE

Application forms also are available through many community agencies. CARE is funded through a rate surcharge paid by all other utility customers. These income limits may be adjusted each year depending on inflation.

Qualifications

If your total household income is at or below the income limits below, you are eligible for the CARE program. Income limits are effective June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.

CARE Income Guidelines

Household Size	Income Eligibility Upper Limit
1-2	$39,440
3	$49,720
4	$60,000
5	$70,280
6	$80,560
7	$90,840
8	$101,120
Each Additional Person	$10,280

You may also be eligible for CARE if you are enrolled in public assistance programs such as:

Medicaid/Medi-Cal
Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC)
Healthy Families A & B
National School Lunch’s Free Lunch Program (NSL)
Food Stamps/SNAP
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Tribal TANF

California has a Low-Income Oversight Board (LIOB), which was established by the Legislature to advise us on the energy low-income assistance programs of utilities under our jurisdiction.