New Jersey utility bill aid offers up to $200 a month
New Jersey opened applications for up to $200 a month in utility aid.
The short version
- The Universal Service Fund helps lower monthly gas and electric bills.
- Seven state Utilities must help first-time enrollees fill out applications.
- Apply online at the state portal before funds run out.
Check your next power bill. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, which regulates electricity and natural gas service across the state, just opened the new application period for up to $200 a month in utility aid. Administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the state agency that runs housing and social programs, the Universal Service Fund helps eligible households keep their monthly electric and natural gas bills manageable.
The program now provides minimum monthly bill credits of $20 for gas and electric each, quadruple the previous $5 minimum, and maximum bill credits of $200 per month, up from $180, for gas and electric combined. "Affordability is at the center of everything we're doing at the Board," said Ben Hertz-Shargel, the head of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
Enrolling also unlocks access to the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, and the USF-Fresh Start energy debt forgiveness program, while protecting households from utility shutoffs during summer and winter. New Jersey households can apply with one application for both programs through the state website, and seven major gas and electric utility companies are ordered to assist first-time enrollees with their paperwork.
For a local family juggling high gas and electric costs, those monthly credits mean real breathing room before the winter heating season hits.
