Maine Public Advocate: A tough winter calls for more help with utility bills

Roughly 70,000 low-income Maine households need help paying their electric bills, but less than half of them receive financial aid under the current low-income assistance program, and, which benefits This is insufficient to make electricity affordable for most recipients. Winter is coming and energy costs are on the rise, this statistic can’t stand it.

Now as we close up our homes and prepare for a long, cold winter. This year, with energy prices exceptionally high, too many families risk being exposed to the cold while being unprotected. The high cost of home heating fuel and electricity will impose financial hardship on many of us, especially low-income households.

In response to the increase in natural gas prices, the Public Utilities Commission just announced a huge increase Standard offer supply price increase of around 49% for Central Main Power customers and 35% on average for Versant Power customers. The Standard Offer Price applies to the supply portion of the utility bill and not the utility fee for delivering electricity. Unfortunately, rolling up storm windows and plugging drafty corners won’t pay for these high energy bills.

Last spring, the Legislature recognized that a substantial increase in the Standard Resolution was coming and wisely created Electric Ratepayer Advisory Council To study the issue of affordability of electric service in Maine. The Council, consisting of 18 members with a wide range of expertise and experience, has released its first Annual Report to the Legislature. Based on extensive research and analysis regarding electricity affordability, the 44-page report includes 17 formal recommendations for legislative and regulatory action to provide additional support for low-income ratepayers.

To ensure that electricity is affordable (typically measured as less than 4% of household income), Maine needs to increase that from its current level of about $17 million to about $60 million. The Council’s primary recommendation is to fully finance the financial support needed to make electricity affordable to every low-income ratepayer within a reasonable period.

Specific recommendations for starting the transition to full potential include:

• Gradually increasing funding and focusing initial funding on families most in need; Adding new standard proposal sources for funding the low-income assistance program.

• Streamlining Low Income Assistance Program enrollment and reducing the cost of operating the program.

• Promoting efficient use of electricity in low-income households.

As important as these recommendations are in the long run, they will not bring relief to struggling consumers this winter.

To meet the immediate needs of low-income ratepayers, the Office of the Public Attorney has submitted an emergency request to the PUC for a temporary increase of low-income benefits this winter.

Specifically, the Office of the Public Attorney is requesting a $75 bill credit for all low-income clients enrolled in the Low-Income Assistance Program in January.

This standard offer will offset the first three months of the approximately $25-per-month increase in price that will be effective January 1. standard offer price.

The Mainers are a caring and compassionate group. We recognize that we are all in this together, and that we cannot leave our most vulnerable neighbors alone to survive high winter energy costs. They should not be put in the position of choosing between paying their utility bills and buying essential food or medicine for their families. I am hopeful that working together with the strong leadership in Augusta, we can provide needed relief.

Related Stories