Low-income utility customers may qualify for 20-35% off on electric or natural gas bills through the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Pro-gram. For the CARE Program, electrical companies with 100,000 or more customer accounts in California offer a 30-35% discount. Electrical companies with fewer than 100,000 customer ac-counts in the state offer a 20% discount.
If the total household income is at or below the income limits, costumers are eligible for the CARE Program with income limits effective from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025. Also, if a customer is already enrolled in other public assistance programs, such as Medicaid, WIC, Healthy Family A&B, National School Lunches (NSL), Food Stamps/SNAP, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), TANF, or SSI, they may also qualify for the CARE program.
If you are currently on the CARE pro-gram, February is time to renew by coordinating the application process with your Park Manager. If you think you qualify for the program, be sure to work with your Park Manager to complete the required forms. Application forms also are available through many community agencies.
CARE is funded through a rate surcharge paid by all utility customers. These income limits may be adjusted each year depending on inflation.
Information is also available from these utility providers:
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E):
www.pge.com or call 1-866-743-2273
Southern California Edison (SCE):
www.sce.com or call 1-800-655-4555
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E):
www.sdge.com or call 1-800-411-7343
SoCal Gas Company:
www.socalgas.com or call 1-800-427-2200
Another alternative for families whose household income slightly exceeds the CARE allowances may qualify to receive Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) discounts, which applies an 18% discount on their electricity bill. FERA is available for customers of Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Please contact your utility company for more information on this program.
