$200 energy bill credit available to local customers

The Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program is available for residents. 

The program provides a $200 energy bill credit to eligible electricity customers across Washington and is funded by the state’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA).

“We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of the state’s clean energy transition reach everyone, especially those most burdened by energy costs,” said Gov. Jay Inslee, who joined Commerce Director Mike Fong and others for the announcement in Seattle.

More than 675,000 low- to moderate-income electric utility customers throughout Washington, or approximately 20% of all residential customers, are said to be eligible for this program.

Utilities across the state will distribute a one-time $200 bill credit directly into eligible customer accounts by September 15, 2024. Credits will be applied automatically to certain customer accounts, and other customers will need to apply. 

Each utility may have slightly different criteria and processes.

• Apply with your utility. Anyone can go to https://wacleanenergycredits.com and see if they qualify for the $200 credit. You’ll need to know the name of your utility and your account number. If you qualify, the easy automated system will walk you through the rest of the process to get your credit.
  View a video tutorial (YouTube)
  Some customers may receive an SMS text message from their utility pointing them to the same website (https://wacleanenergycredits.com). If you receive a text message, you will see that your account number is already entered when you go to the website, making it one step easier to apply for your credit.
• No application needed for automatic credits. Some customers will see the credit appear on their statement automatically. These customers include those enrolled in their utility’s ratepayer assistance programs, such as senior, disabled or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or customers who have enrolled in assistance programs through local community agencies, such as home weatherization or nutrition assistance. Customers can contact their utility to confirm if they’ll automatically receive the credit or if they need to apply.

The Washington Families Clean Energy Credit program requires participating utilities to prioritize customers at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), with the possibility to expand eligibility up to 150% AMI if there’s enough funding. 

In areas such as Seattle, Everett, and Vancouver, the qualifying income for a four-person household ranges from $110,950 to $226,050. For a family of four living in areas with the lowest cost of living, this equates to a household income of $72,000, and up to $135,000 as funding allows.

“The state’s largest as well as the smallest utilities have an equal chance to support the communities they serve by providing these credits,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong. 

He reported that nearly all of the state’s 60 electric utilities with residential customers have signed on to the program and will receive grants from Commerce to fund distribution of the credits to customers. More than 99.6% of all residential customers are said to be served by participating utilities.