Residential customers of Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) who are having difficulty making ends meet are encouraged to contact their utility now to enroll in payment plans or to receive referrals for bill assistance programs.
“Many of our customers continue to face financial challenges brought on by the pandemic and ongoing economic uncertainty,” said Jim Fakult, president of New Jersey Operations for FirstEnergy. “With winter in full swing, I encourage customers who have fallen behind on their bills to contact us as soon as possible so that a member of our team can review their options with them.”
Programs customers may be eligible to participate in include:
- The Universal Service Fund (USF) Program: Eligible customers can receive a monthly bill credit and may also receive utility debt forgiveness. To be eligible, a household’s gross income must be at or below 400% of the federal poverty level and pay more than 2% of its annual income for electricity if the household does not heat with electric heat. If a household has electric heat it, must spend more than 4% of its annual income on electricity. To apply call 2-1-1 or visit the DCAid screening tool.
- The Low-Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): This program may help low-income customers meet home heating and medically necessary cooling costs. Customers must have income at or below 60% of the state median income, own or rent their home and be responsible for heating or cooling costs. Apply today by calling the LIHEAP hotline at 1-800-510-3102 or visit the DCAid screening tool to see if you qualify for LIHEAP.
- The Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric (PAGE) Program: This program helps low- to moderate-income customers in New Jersey who are struggling to pay their electric and natural gas bills. The NJ PAGE program provides grants to those over the income limits for LIHEAP as well as those who already applied for LIHEAP but require additional assistance. To apply call 732-982-8710 or visit the NJPowerOn website.
- 2-1-1 Helpline: This nationwide resource and information helpline identifies locally available programs that may assist customers with utility bills or other needs. For more information dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 898211 or visit the 2-1-1 website.
For a complete list of assistance programs for which customers may be eligible, including installment payment plans and budget billing, please visit www.firstenergycorp.com/billassist or call customer service at 1-800-662-3115.
I applied for assistance because I had a huge balance that I couldn’t pay, it took more than 8 months to get approved for the grant, the crazy part is that JCP&L and NJNG threatened me several times in between that they are shutting off my gas and electric even though I told them that I applied for assistance and I’m waiting for the approval, very unprofessional, no communication between these offices…
I had a very different experience. We were only eligible for one-time grants through some of these programs but it was worth the try. We applied in May and called all the utility companies. We got 90 day extensions twice so they didn’t send shutoff notices. Once approved, the money went straight to NJNG, JCPL, and American Water. They dug us out of a hole more than $5,000 deep.
We are very grateful and the help we received from the people at 211 was amazing. Post here if you want the email address of the person at LIHEAP that helped us navigate all this.
Please share the name and contact information, of the individual who assisted you. Thank You
This is the email we used to correspond. Her name was Pat and she was very helpful.
[email protected]
Also, the Toms River office couldn’t get involved with my particular case but they were more helpful in than the Lakewood office when I had questions.
Toms River: (732) 244-9041
I’m not sure if it’s still being offered but Pat told me to call 211 and apply for the ARP Program (American Rescue Plan). They gave us a large one-time grants as well.
Good luck!
I am having a very hard time with LIHEAP and they care shutting me off even though I have applied.