UI, SCG to Offer In-Person Assistance for Customers Struggling to Pay their Energy Bills
On Wednesday, February 26 from 3 PM to 6 PM, representatives from UI, SCG, and community action agency TEAM will be on-site at Derby Neck Library
Representatives will answer questions, enroll customers in assistance programs, and discuss energy efficiency options offered by the Home Energy Solutions program
DERBY, Conn. — February 25, 2025 — Today, United Illuminating (UI) and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc., announced that representatives of the companies will be on-site at Derby Neck Library (307 Hawthorne Avenue, Derby CT 06418) tomorrow, Wednesday, February 26, 2025. From 3 PM to 6 PM, customers can speak directly with Customer Service Representatives to ask questions (e.g., regarding their bill or payment status) and apply in person for assistance programs offered by the companies and have any questions; customers can also speak with representatives from the TEAM community action agency to apply for the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and/or Operation Fuel for their heating source. Representatives from the companies’ Conservation & Load Management team will also be available to provide information about energy efficiency upgrades through the Home Energy Solutions program. All UI and/or SCG customers are invited to attend.
“If any of our customers are struggling to pay their energy bills, now is the time to take advantage of the assistance we can offer,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI and SCG. “While we do not control or benefit from supply costs, Public Benefits Charge, and other factors that are driving up energy costs this season, our team is committed to getting out in the communities we serve, answering questions and helping our customers apply for a litany of programs that can help bring down or manage energy bills. Any UI or SCG customer – whether in Derby or from any of the towns we serve – is invited to join us at Derby Neck Library on Wednesday afternoon, and I encourage anyone who needs assistance or has questions to stop by.”
At Wednesday’s Outreach Event – the first of its kind to be held in Derby – UI and SCG customers can meet one-on-one with the companies’ Customer Service Representatives, who can offer information about the following programs and help customers apply for them:
- Winter Protection Program: Customers who meet certain eligibility requirements can avoid shut-off between November 1 and May 1. The Winter Protection Program must be renewed annually, beginning in October. To prevent your service from being shut off after May 1, UI/SCG to set up a payment arrangement.
- Matching Payment Program (MPP): With the Matching Payment Program, we will match every dollar you pay and every dollar you receive from the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) or other assistance programs.
- Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) – UI only: Designed to help eligible residential customers facing financial hardship manage their energy costs, the LIDR provides qualifying customers either a 10% (Tier 1) or a 50% (Tier 2) discount on their currently monthly charges, based on their income levels and eligible benefits programs.
- Flexible Payment Arrangements: All residential customers, regardless of their financial circumstances, can spread past-due balances over 18 months. Current payment arrangements may be renegotiated due to a change in financial circumstances Per Conn. Agencies Reg. § 16-3-100(b)(3)(A).
Customers can also speak with representatives of UI and SCG’s Conservation & Load Management team, who can provide information about the Home Energy Solutions program, which offers a low-cost, no-obligation energy efficiency assessment and various incentives for upgrades made to improve the efficiency and value of the residence. Customers who meet certain income qualifications can take advantage of the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible program, which eliminates the co-pay for the no-obligation energy efficiency assessment and increases the incentive value for energy efficiency upgrades and improvements.
To determine program eligibility, customers should bring the following documents with them to the Customer Enrollment Event:
- Current UI and/or SCG bill or account information;
- Benefits program documentation, such as Disability/Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); State-Administered General Assistance (SAGA); Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and/or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and
- Household income documentation, such as unemployment; employed (weekly – last 4 pay stubs, biweekly – last 2 pay stubs, monthly – last pay stub); self-employed (most recent 1099 tax form); recent year 1099 tax form; social security; child support, pension, retirement, or other.
For more information on UI’s assistance programs, please visit www.uinet.com/helpwithbill. For more information on SCG’s assistance programs, please visit www.soconngas.com/helpwithbill.
Media Contact:
Sarah Wall Fliotsos
(757) 407-4255