Assistance programs from Texas AEP.
Find utility bill help from AEP. American Electric Power offers several financial assistance, free energy conservation and grant programs for low income customers, seniors, the disabled and veterans in Texas. The utility company tries to work with customers to prevent a shut off of their service, and emergency utility bill help may be offered to pay AEP bills in Texas.
They may offer payment plans, refer individuals to non-profits or government assistance to pay electric bills and they provide other services. Find information on all of the assistance programs below, and all AEP services are available in Spanish as well.
AEP payment and discount plans
Payment Plans and Extensions – This is usually offered to qualified customers on a one off basis. Low income and struggling customers can request an extended payment arrangement or one-time extension. This option is offered for individuals that are unable to pay their bill on time or that have received a disconnection notice. AEP does what they can to provide a little extra time to help pay your electric bill.
American Electric Power will offer qualified customers the Texas PIPP Plus option. This is an updated version of a program that Texas had in place years ago. PIPP Plus will make monthly payments more affordable for qualified low income customers on a year-round basis. A customer will need to commit to making payments, and if they continue to pay their utility and electric bills on time then the AEP account will be credited to relieve the remainder of the monthly bill. It will also eliminate a portion of the older debt on the customer’s account. To learn more about, or to apply to PIPP Plus, you can dial AEP. Or feel free to call the Public Utilities Commission of Texas at 1-800-686-7826 or dial Texas Department of Development at 1-800-282-0880.
Another of the leading resources is the LITE-UP Texas Program. It is a discount program. Assistance is for qualified low-income and working poor individuals that live in an area where they can choose their own service provider. Any type of credit or discount is offered during the hotter months of May, June, July, August and September.
An AEP Texas Central and North customer is generally qualified if the customer is currently receiving SNAP benefits and/or Medicaid. Exceptions can be made as well. For example if you are not in one of the qualified government benefit programs listed above, you can still qualify in the program if your household income is low enough. To learn more, apply, and determine eligibility, dial 1-866-454-8387.
Community action agencies administer and process applications for customers from all AEP companies. If funding permits, a qualified applicant may receive up to $600 for their bills. Each local community action agency screens applicants and each one will determine who will receive financial assistance. In order to qualify, recipients must be reside at the service address in question, be AEP Texas Central and North customers and be financially responsible for monthly electricity expenses. In addition several income restrictions are in place.
Financial assistance to pay AEP Texas utility bills
AEP Texas works with many non-profit community-based local and federal organizations as well as private groups to administer the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, which is the states version of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Cash assistance and grants can be offered as part of CEAP, which is one of the primary programs offered to provide energy bill assistance.
The financial assistance distributed can be used to pay your bills on a monthly basis. In addition, if you are out of fuel or oil, or have received a disconnection notice from AEP, then a crisis component of CEAP can go into effect to help you pay your energy bills. Energy conservation and weatherization type services are also provided as part of this grant program.
The AEP and state of Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, is another option for customers. This is the main federal government support benefit. Households can receive grants for paying their utilities, disconnection prevention assistance, and other emergency aid. Applications are normally only processed once per year, and AEP Texas customers can contact a local community action agency Find details on Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) in TX.
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs also works with community action agency to offer the Weatherization Program. There are several components to it. It can provide low income homeowners with an energy audit. Based on the results of that, the program may provide for the installation of weatherization measures to increase energy efficiency of their home.
The program is free to those that qualify based on income.If you meet income limits, those customers of AEP Texas Central and North with elderly residents, small children under the age of 6, with a disabled resident or households with the lowest income and highest energy costs will be given priority. It can help address or even replace inefficient appliances, seal air leaks, and in general enhance the energy efficiency of the home.
The AEP Texas organization works closely with the Dollar Energy Fund to offer the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund. This service will help low-income AEP Texas customers who are having difficulty paying their electric bill. This is a donation program, and customers, local businesses, and other groups donate money to Neighbor to Neighbor. All contributions go to help qualified, less fortunate households pay their bills.
Money is collected and distributed by local non-profit and social service agencies as well. At that point AEP will match the funds contributed to Neighbor to Neighbor Program, and the money will go towards helping a low income family pay their heating and utility bills in an emergency.
The Neighbor-to-Neighbor program is paid for by both customer donations as well as matching funds from AEP. It is a program that can help families pay their electricity bills, in particular during the hot summer months. Both of the companies of AEP will often contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in an effort to help fund the program and assist the less fortunate.
While applicants will need to meet several qualifications in order to get help, a focus is always on the low income and working poor that are facing an unexpected crisis. This can include seniors or people that are disabled. Funding is very limited though due to the demands on it and also partly due to the fact that much of the funding is from donations.
Anyone in the region may donate to the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. It is simple to do, and they just need to check the "bill assistance" box on their monthly energy bill. Every dollar you contribute will go directly to assisting the less fortunate in the AEP Texas service territory.
Free energy conservation measures to save money on electric and utility bills
Save money on your American Electric Power energy bills from weatherization. The grant program is free to income qualified customers. A focus is usually on the elderly, disabled, and very low income families.
Texas families who are living on a low or fixed income may qualify for weatherization repair services or assistance through the gridSMART Community Assistance Program. The service is managed by your local non-profit community action agency, and you can learn more by contacting your local community based agency. Or if that option doesn’t work, dial AEP Texas at 1-877-373-4858.
American Electric Power - Crisis Response Fund – Offers both weatherization and electric bill assistance. Various qualifications need to be met by applicants, and eligibility requirements are between 176 percent and 200 percent of federal government guidelines. AEP Texas customers can apply for help in paying their electric bills and get more information on this service by contacting the company at 1-877-373-4858, they can call their local community action agency, or dial the Salvation Army in their town.
Third-Party Notification can assist with preventing the disconnection of a relatives or friends account. Low income customers can help someone avoid electric service disconnection with the free Third-Party Notification assistance program. While the service is often used on accounts of those who are ill or senior citizens, any customer can benefit from it.
What will happen is that the authorized third party on the account will receive copies of the participant’s utility bills if their electric service is at risk of being disconnected due to nonpayment of their energy bill. Note you don’t need to pay the bill, but you will just receive notification.
How to get assistance from AEP in Texas
To learn more on these, call American Electric Power (AEP Texas) at 1-877-373-4858 or dial a local community action agency, as noted above.
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