People are struggling to pay their utility bills. With many families losing all or part of their income during the pandemic, there simply isn’t enough money after paying rent or the mortgage and groceries.
While Virginia and D.C. still have moratoriums on utility shut-offs in place, Maryland does not. Some utility companies have free money to help you get caught up, but you have to contact them for help.
For example, DC Water is offering up to $2,000 in emergency relief to help pay down your past due balance.
Fairfax Water has a COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program. Funds are on a first-come, first-served basis, and we’re told money is still available right now.
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Dominion’s EnergyShare program allows customers facing financial hardships to apply for help regardless of income.
And Pepco works with the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to offer grants to customers.
“We’re trying every way to get our customers to take action and that’s the most important thing,” said Ben Armstrong, Pepco spokesperson. “Our customers need to take action, they need to reach out so that we can get them engaged with the assistance that can help them get back on track.”
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If your utility company does not have free money available, they can refer you to local programs that do. And all providers will work with you on a payment plan, with some allowing you to pay whatever you can afford.
Use the links below to see what financial help your utility provider has available.
