Help With Bill

Help With Bill

We strive to provide you with reliable and essential energy delivery.

Our work doesn’t stop there — we also have many services designed to meet the variety of needs you or your family members may have. In addition, there are a variety of state programs that may be able to provide you with financial assistance with your utility bill.

 

Low-Income Discount Rate

Need to lower your electric bill? Our Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) may be able to help. If you qualify, you will receive a 10% (Tier 1) or 50% (Tier 2) discount on your current monthly charges. For example, if your current monthly charges totaled $100, you would receive a $10 or $50 discount on your bill. 

Eligibility and tier placement is determined by total household size and income or at least one member of your household's participation in an eligible benefits program. 

For more information and instructions on how to apply for LIDR, please visit uinet.com/LIDR.

 

Qualifying for Financial Hardship

You may qualify for financial hardship status. To see if you qualify:

  1. Contact us at 800.722.5584; OR
  2. Contact your local Community Action Agency (CAA) 

You automatically qualify if you receive certain State benefits such as:

  • SSI – Disability/Supplemental Security Income
  • TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
  • SAGA – Standard Administered General Services
  • WIC – Woman, Infants and Children
  • SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

You will be asked to provide documentation of public benefits when you contact UI or your local CAA.

If you don’t receive State benefits, you may still qualify based on your income.

To  be eligible for income-based assistance programs, your household income must be at or below 60% of the State Median Income:

 

2024-2025 Income Eligibility Guidelines

How much money can you make to be at or below 60% of the state median?

Family Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Income Level $45,505 $59,507 $73,509 $87,751 $101,513 $115,514 $118,139 $120,765


The following documentation is all that is needed when you call us or your local CAA: 
•    Unemployment 
•    Employed (Weekly - last 4 pay stubs, Biweekly - last 2 paystubs, Monthly - last paystub)
•    Self-employed (most recent year 1099 Tax Form)
•    Social Security 
•    Child support, pension, retirement, or other

 

UI Assistance Programs

  • Matching Payment Program – Our Matching Payment Program (MPP) may help you manage your electric bill. With this program, we will match every dollar you pay and every dollar you receive from the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) or other assistance programs.
  • Called to Active Duty? – You may qualify for temporary suspension of collective action and disconnection of your electric service if you are called into active duty in the U.S. military.
  • Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible (HES-IE) – Provides valuable weatherization measures to help renters and homeowners reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. This program provides services to income-eligible electric, natural gas, propane and oil heat customers. 
  • Winter Protection Program – UI offers winter protection to all our customers that qualify. If you meet eligibility requirements, we will not turn off your electricity between November 1 and May 1. The Winter Protection Plan must be renewed annually, beginning in October. To prevent your service from being shut off after May 1, contact UI to setup a payment arrangement.

 

Medical Protection

Medical protection is available to residential customers or family members within the household with a serious or life-threatening medical condition.

A medical protection designation protects a residential utility customer from shut off from November 1 through May 1 (serious illness designation) or year-round (life-threatening designation) if the residential customer or someone in their household has a medical condition that requires continuation of utility service. 

Please see our fact sheet for how to apply for a medical protection designation.  

Your physician/APRN/PA can use the Medical Web Portal to complete the certification form. The medical portal allows medical professionals and authorized agencies to protect eligible utility customers from possible disconnection for non-payment of utility service. By using the medical portal, the physician/APRN/PA are certifying that their patient has a medical condition and must be afforded protections from termination of service for non-payment under the applicable state laws and regulations. 

 

Flexible Payment Arrangements

We will work with you if you are having trouble paying your electric bill. We offer flexible payment arrangements for all customers needing assistance. These arrangements can be spread out up to 18 months for residential customers and 6 months for non-residential customers. Current payment arrangements may be renegotiated due to a change in financial circumstances Per Conn. Agencies Reg. § 16-3-100(b)(3)(A). These arrangements may be discussed confidentially by calling our Customer Care Center at 800.722.5584.

 

Disputing a Payment Arrangement

If you are unable to reach a satisfactory Payment Arrangement with our customer representative, you may ask to speak with a company Review Officer. If you disagree with a Review Officer’s decision concerning a Payment Arrangement, you may appeal within five days to the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). If you disagree with PURA’s decision, you may request a hearing before PURA. During your appeal, your service will not be shut off, as long as youcontinue to pay your current and undisputed bill amounts during this period.

 

Disputar Un Arreglo De Pago

Si no logra llegar a un Arreglo de Pago satisfactorio con nuestro representante de atención al cliente, puede pedir hablar con un oficial de revisión. Si no está de acuerdo con la decisión del oficial de revisión sobre el Acuerdo de Pago, puede apelar dentro de los cinco días al Ente Regulatorio de Servicios Públicos (Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, PURA) de Connecticut. Si no está de acuerdo con la decisión de PURA, puede solicitar una audiencia ante PURA. Durante la apelación, su servicio no se interrumpirá, siempre y cuando usted siga pagando los montos actuales de su factura que no estén en disputa durante este plazo.

Fact Sheets for all Assistance Programs in English and Espanol

 

State Assistance Programs

  • Operation Fuel – Operation Fuel provides emergency energy and utility assistance to households in Connecticut that are facing a financial crisis. Operation Fuel offers year-round energy and utility assistance for safe drinking water, fuel for cooking meals for your families, heat to keep your family warm in the winter, and electricity for refrigerating your insulin at safe temperatures and to power your lifesaving home medical devices. Please visit uinet.com/Rates or operationfuel.org/gethelp for more information.
  • Info Line – 2-1-1 Infoline is a single source for information about community services, referrals to human services, and crisis intervention. It is accessed toll-free from anywhere in Connecticut by simply dialing 2-1-1. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. TDD access and multilingual caseworkers are available. For more information, visit Infoline.org.
  • UI customers can support Operation Fuel by adding an additional $1.00 to their monthly bill payment and UI will match 50% of your tax-deductible contribution. To have $1.00 or more added automatically each month to your bill, call our Customer Care Center at 800 7 CALL UI (800.722.5584).

    To make an additional donation, visit operationfuel.org to make an online donation or send your donation directly to:

    Operation Fuel
    75 Charter Oak Avenue, Suite 2-240
    Hartford, CT 06106

    Thank you for your support!

  • Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) - The federally-funded Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is designed to help low-income households pay their winter heating bills. CEAP is not designed to pay total heating costs. Households must plan to pay a part of the bill themselves. CEAP applications are handled by the local Community Action Agency (CAA). Visit cafca.org to find a local Community Action Agency.

 

Community Action Agencies

Community Action Agencies (CAA) are intake centers for energy assistance applications and assist you with finding financial assistance for your energy bills. In addition to heating assistance and weatherization, some CAAs provide employment and training, food pantries and mature adult services. Visit cafca.org to find a local Community Action Agency.

 

Energy Efficiency Programs and Rebates

UI offers a variety of energy efficiency programs and rebates to help you manage your energy costs. Start with Energy Analyzer and get targeted energy efficiency information, advice and support to help you achieve savings.

Additional energy efficiency resources and assistance, including energy assessments and rebates and incentives, can be found at energizect.com.

 

Clean Energy Programs

We are committed to supporting clean, renewable energy options including offering Residential Renewable Energy Solutions (RRES) and Energy Storage Solutions (ESS). Learn about the programs and opportunities available to you at uinet.com/Innovation.

 

Factors Impacting Your Bill

For assistance in understanding your bill and the factors that drive price changes, please visit uinet.com/rates to learn more.

Asset Publisher

Because your usage, and amount owed are averaged, bills in the summer are lower than expected, and bills during cooler months may be higher than expected.

UI’s rates are seasonal and therefore change based on the time of year. The rate during the summer period (June-September) is greater than that of the winter period (October-May).

If you are on one of UI’s Time-of-Use Rates, a change to when you use electricity will impact your bill. The rate for on-peak hours (noon – 8 PM Monday - Friday) is greater than off-peak hours. By using more electricity during on-peak hours, you are paying a higher rate for that electricity

UI rates are adjusted approximately every six months to account for changes in the cost of the electricity we supply. The new rates are approved by the PURA, the regulatory agency that oversees aspects of the company’s operation. A change in your rate class, one of the two factors that combine to determine your monthly bill, would change your bottom line.

The fossil fuels that are used to generate electricity --- coal, oil, natural gas --- have all increased significantly in price  since our existing supply contract was signed three years ago. Those price increases will play a major role in the final cost of the new supply contract.

Both in the summer and winter months, the weather drives a portion of your bill. The more your heating or cooling system operates, the higher the energy usage, and the higher the bill.

Changes to your home’s thermostat settings, the number of people living at your home, and vacations will affect your electricity usage. Adjusting the setting of your thermostat by a few degrees will cause the amount of electricity you use to change.

The number of days on the invoice (i.e. the billing period) is greater or less than normal. There can be as much as an eight (8) day difference in the number of billing days on an invoice. As a result, the amount of electricity consumed for that billing period may be greater or less than normal.

Home renovations (e.g. additions), changes or additions to home appliances, and changes to your homes heating and cooling systems can have a significant impact on your electricity consumption.

Are you on a UI Time-of-Use Rate?  A shift to your pattern of use will cause your bill either to rise or fall as the cost per kWh swings to on or off peak rates.

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