Financial Assistance

Clean Energy. Same Financial Assistance Programs.

3CE customers are eligible for California’s energy assistance programs. If you have recently transferred generation service from PG&E or SCE to 3CE, any payment assistance programs in which you were enrolled will remain the same and continue to apply to your monthly electricity bill.

Rebates & Incentives

Residential
Commercial
Agriculture

Residential

California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE) and Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) (Monthly Bill Discounts)

California Alternate Rates for Energy Program (CARE) is a monthly discount of 35% on your electricity bill and a 20% discount on your natural gas bill. Participants qualify through income guidelines or if enrolled in certain public assistance programs.

CARE and FERA are discount programs that help eligible customers pay their energy bills. Over 1.4 million California customers receive a bill discount through these two programs.

Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) is a monthly discount of 18% on electricity only. Qualifying households must be of three or more people. Determine eligibility through the income guidelines.

Links:

PG&E’s CARE and FERA Webpage

SCE’s CARE and FERA Webpage

Medical Baseline Program (Monthly Bill Discounts)

The Medical Baseline Program, also known as the Medical Baseline Allowance, is an assistance program for residential customers who depend on power for certain medical and independent living needs. This program provides:

A lower rate on your monthly energy bill

Extra notifications in advance of a Public Safety Power Shutoff

How the Medical Baseline Program Works: All residential customers receive an allotment of energy every month at the lowest price available on their rate. This is called the Baseline Allowance.

Customers who are eligible for the Medical Baseline Program receive an additional allotment of electricity and/or gas per month (approximately 500 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity and/or 25 therms of gas per month). This helps ensure that more energy is available at a lower rate to support qualifying medical devices.

The Medical Baseline Program requires you to continue paying your monthly PG&E or SCE bill. Nonpayment can result in the disconnection of your utility services.

Links:

PG&E’s Medical Baseline Webpage

SCE’s Medical Baseline Webpage

Arrearage Management Plan (AMP) Program (Bill Payment Assistance)

AMP provides up to $8,000 total past-due forgiveness for CARE or FERA customers and shields customers with past-due amounts from disconnection. Customers must be enrolled in CARE or FERA to be eligible for AMP. Customers must also owe at least $500 in arrearages, or $250 for gas-only customers, with some portion of the arrearage at least 90 days past due.

How it Works: Customers enrolled in AMP will receive forgiveness of 1/12 of their past-due balance for every on-time payment of a current monthly bill, with a maximum possible amount of $8,000 in total forgiveness per 12-month period. Missing two sequential payments will automatically remove customers from the AMP program.

If a customer falls out of the AMP program, any amounts already forgiven are not forfeited, and they must wait for 12 months before re-enrolling. Please review this AMP flyer before calling PG&E directly to apply at 1-800-743-5000 or calling SCE directly to apply at 1-800-655-4555

Links:

AMP Informational Flyer

PG&E’S AMP Webpage

SCE’s AMP Webpage

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (Bill Payment Assistance) (Energy Savings)

Are you struggling to pay your electric bills and potentially could be disconnected? Central Coast Energy Services LIHEAP program provides residential customers with financial support.

There are several portions of the program that help accomplish this goal, such as:

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides one-time financial assistance to help balance an eligible household’s utility bill.
The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) assists low-income households that are in a crisis situation. An example would be a household receiving a 24-48 hour disconnect notice or service termination by their utility company. Another example would be a household facing an energy-related crisis that could be deemed potentially life-threatening in the household, such as a combustible appliance.
LIHEAP Weatherization provides free energy efficiency upgrades for low-income households to lower their monthly utility bills while also improving the health and safety of the household’s occupants.
Education on basic energy efficiency practices and instruction on the proper use and maintenance of installed weatherization measures.
Energy budget counseling.

Links:

LIHEAP Webpage

Central Coast Energy Services (Monterey/Santa Cruz/San Benito Counties)

CapSLO (San Luis Obispo County)

ComUnify (Santa Barbara County)

California Arrearage Payment Plan (CAPP) (Bill Payment Assistance)

The CAPP program offers financial assistance for CA energy utility customers to help reduce past due energy balances accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic and have incurred a past due balance of 60 days or more from March 4, 2020 through June 15, 2021.

How do I Apply: Customers do not need to apply to receive assistance under the CAPP program. Eligible accounts will receive an automated credit on their bill. CAPP funding will be prioritized by:

Active residential customers with past due at risk of disconnection due to nonpayment
Active residential customers with past due balances
Inactive residential customers with past due balances
Commercial customers with past due balances

Links:

CAPP Webpage

PG&E COVID Relief Payment Plan – Residential (Additional Assistance)

Qualified PG&E residential and small business customers will automatically enroll in the COVID Relief Payment Plan. If enrolled, the plan will help pay down a qualified balance over time and protect customers from disconnection if the customer consistently pays the plan installment amount and current charges each month. The pending deadline for this payment plan is September 30, 2022.

Residential customers:

Debt 60 days past due or more.
Total eligible outstanding balance can be paid over 24 months.
Monthly payment plan installment amount is the outstanding balance equally divided over 24 months, and is due every month in addition to total current charges.
Customers who miss more than two payment plan installments will be unenrolled from the plan.

Links:

PG&E COVID Relief Payment Plan Webpage

Emergency Rental Assistance Program (Additional Assistance)

California passed SB91 approving $2.6B in emergency rental and utility assistance. Applicants can receive help for past-due rent and utilities. Each county has allotted a different funding amount and way to administer their program. 3CE Customers can visit the state site to find which entity is running their program and receive more resources: Housing Is Key (ca.gov)

Who Can Apply: Landlords with income-eligible renters experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19 with past due rent. Renters who have experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19 have past due rent or utilities and have a household income that is not more than 80% of the area median income.

How Much Rent Relief Will I Get: Landlords can get reimbursed for 80% of past due rent accrued between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, if they agree to waive the remaining 20% of unpaid rent. Eligible renters whose landlords choose not to participate may still apply on their own and receive 25% of unpaid rent accrued between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, through a direct payment to their landlord. If a landlord refuses direct payment, the 25% can be paid to the renter to pay missed rent to their landlord by June 30, 2021. Paying 25% of past due rent by June 30, 2021, can help keep renters in their homes under the extended eviction protections provided in SB91.

How do I Apply: To check eligibility requirements, apply or find a Local Partner Network organization that can assist you further, visit HousingIsKey.com or call 833-430-2122. You can also find your county’s emergency rental assistance program link to the left.

Links:

Monterey County Emergency Rental Assistance Program Webpage

Santa Barbara County Emergency Rental Assistance Program Webpage

Santa Cruz County Housing is Key Webpage

San Luis Obispo County Rental Relief Resources Webpage

San Benito County Emergency Rental Assistance Program Webpage (Pending Information)

Commercial

PG&E COVID Relief Payment Plan – Small Business (Additional Assistance)

Small Business customers:

Debt 60 days past due or more.
Monthly payment installments are calculated based on no more than 10% of the customers average bill over the past 24 months.
The monthly payment plan installment amount is due every month in addition to the customer’s current charges.
Customers that miss more than one payment plan installment within 12 months will be unenrolled from the plan.

Small Business customers in Disadvantaged Communities:

Payment installments are no more than 5% of your average bill over the past 24 months. Note: Disadvantaged Communities refer to specific communities that have been recognized by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as most in need of investments to improve public health, quality of life, and economic opportunity. Learn more about Disadvantaged Communities.

Links: PG&E COVID Relief Payment Plan Webpage

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) (Additional Assistance)

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on a payroll. Borrowers may be eligible for PPP loan forgiveness.

SBA is currently offering PPP loans originated only by participating community financial institutions, including Certified Development Companies (CDCs), SBA Microlenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) until May 31, 2021, or until remaining funds are exhausted. Please note that not all community financial institutions are participating in PPP.

Links: Paycheck Protection Program Loan Webpage