(PatriotsUnited.org) – Struggling Californians are receiving a long-awaited boost to their cost of living, after Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E), who provide electricity in northern and central California, said that it would launch a new Relief for Energy Assistance via the Community Help (REACH) scheme. Widening the initiative will now allow middle-class households and four-person families earning under $156,000 a year to access assistance.
The change was made as the state faces a major heatwave. Temperatures in California’s Central Valley already routinely soar above 110 degrees, forcing locals to use air conditioning, upping energy consumption and its associated costs. Alongside dealing with the heat, PG&E customers in the region were already hit with cost rises in January and March respectively. A spokesperson for the firm said that many of its customers were struggling with the surging costs and wanted their program to help them with some form of relief.
The REACH program is geared toward aiding low and middle-income households to pay overdue energy fees, so their services are not stopped. Under the newly expanded scheme, those eligible can receive as much as $2,000 in credit to settle outstanding balances. This is tailored to aid people penalized by the state’s tiered rate structure in which increased energy use prompts higher bills.
To be able to access REACH, families, and households must own a residential utility account with PG&E and meet certain income levels. Under the REACH Triple Match, people applying for aid must have an overdue balance of at least $200 and request said aid before progressing with any payments. Alongside providing proof of income, customers must also make their past-due payment within 15 days of their application, and must not have already accessed REACH assistance in the past year. PG&E says the widening of the REACH program reflects its wish to back its customers as living cost issues accelerate. The company has previously been criticized for its role in wildfires in the state.
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