Having trouble paying your electric, gas or water bills during the COVID-19 crisis?
Area utility companies have programs to help customers who are facing financial challenges due to the pandemic.
Orange-based Avangrid’s subsidiaries, including United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas and Connecticut Natural Gas, recently extended the enrollment period for the COVID-19 Payment Program. The new deadline to enroll is Feb. 9, 2021.
The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority introduced the program this spring. It allows customers up to 24 months to pay off overdue bill balances, with no interest, penalty or down-payment. Customers who contact the companies and make a payment arrangement, then make the agreed upon payments, are protected from having service disconnected.
Customers may also qualify for forgiveness for overdue bills, matching payment plans, and other programs.
Visit the companies’ websites at www.uinet.com, www.soconngas.com, and www.cngcorp.com for more information.
Meanwhile, the Connecticut Water Company and Operation Fuel have announced a partnership that will streamline access to financial assistance programs to help customers who are having trouble paying their water bills.
The partnership is an extension of Connecticut Water’s existing H2O – Help 2 Our Customers assistance program. Customers will have an additional option to access the information and application materials they need to apply for assistance.
Customers may contact Connecticut Water directly to apply, or apply through Operation Fuel, which also administers assistance programs for other utilities in Connecticut.
Connecticut Water President Maureen Westbrook said she understands the financial realities customers are facing.
“We want to create as many ways as possible for our customers who are struggling financially to get the information and access to our programs,” Westbrook said. “Our partnership with Operation Fuel will allow our customers, who also qualify for assistance programs from their other utilities, to seamlessly apply for Connecticut Water’s H2O – Help 2 Our Customers program with one contact.”
Learn more at www.ctwater.com or at www.operationfuel.org, or call the water company’s customer service line at 1-800-286-5700.
