Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid on Friday. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that the vast majority of $567 million dedicated to help low-income electric and gas utility customers pay off past utility bills will be reflected on customers’ August bills.

The financial assistance program includes an estimated $557 million statewide COVID-19 bill credit program for low-income customers adopted by the New York State Public Service Commission. Under the bill credit program, the PSC leveraged $250 million from the 2023 state budget to require utilities to provide a one-time credit to customers enrolled in the Energy Affordability Program that will eliminate unpaid utility bills that have accrued through May 1, 2022.

The program also authorizes the same relief for any eligible low-income customers that enroll in EAP by Dec. 31.

“I am pleased to announce that the largest low-income utility financial assistance program in the state’s history rolls-out on Monday, Aug. 1 — marking a major step forward in the state’s ongoing efforts to help New Yorkers maintain utility services,” Hochul said. “No New Yorker should have their lights and air conditioning shut off as a result of financial problems caused by the pandemic. I applaud the state Legislature for their partnership to appropriate $250 million toward reducing the burden of utility arrears, which will be critical to helping vulnerable New Yorkers maintain their utility services, especially during these hot summer months.”

The Department of Public Service, the staff arm of the PSC, worked with the state’s major utilities to credit the customers’ accounts. The coronavirus pandemic caused significant financial hardship for New Yorkers, particularly low-income consumers. Since March 2020, the number of customers more than 60 days behind in their electric and gas utility payments — or, in arrears — and the total dollar amount of arrears has grown to unprecedented levels. Low-income customer credits are expected to be posted to customer accounts beginning Aug. 1, and consumers can expect to see the credit on their next billing cycle. Credits will be received by the vast majority of low-income customers of the major electric and

gas companies on their August bills.

The coronavirus pandemic caused significant financial hardship to low-income customers and resulted in the shuttering of businesses and widespread loss of jobs. The number of customers that have unpaid utility bills and the total dollar amount of unpaid utility bills has risen considerably since March 2020. More than 327,000 low-income New York households will directly benefit from the program.

Under the bill credit program, all state assistance available for utility bill assistance will be coordinated to ensure maximum benefits to ratepayers and to avoid duplication of efforts. This includes relief available to low-income customers from the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program to reduce unpaid utility bills, estimated at $100 million; coupled with $250 million from the New York state budget, directed to utilities to eliminate pandemic-related unpaid utility bills for low-income households. Utility shareholders have provided more than $36 million in contributions to benefit ratepayers. The bill credit program is estimated to cost the major utility ratepayers $181 million after they are allocated their share of the budget appropriation, and customer credits and shareholder contributions that reduce the program cost are applied.

This one-time, low-income utility bill credit, which will be applied to affected customers’ bills by the utilities, requires no action by existing low-income customers enrolled in the EAP to receive the benefit.

Any newly-eligible, low-income customer that enrolls in EAP before Dec. 31 will be included in the bill credit program.