The Department of Commerce today announced the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program. This 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 today for the announcement in Seattle. “The Climate Commitment Act is helping thousands of low-income families and communities reduce their home energy costs through things like weatherization, heat pumps and solar installations. While we continue to make those tools available for more people, this credit offers an immediate benefit.”

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

HOW IT WORKS

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 served by participating utilities.

“City Light is committed to connecting our customers to valuable resources to help reduce their electric bills,” said Craig Smith, Chief Customer Officer with Seattle City Light, who attended the announcement event today in Seattle. “We are excited to partner with the Washington State Department of Commerce to provide this much needed $200 bill credit for our income qualified customers.”

“Housing affordability goes beyond brick and mortar. Utility costs can put a big strain on household budgets, making it even harder for families to keep their homes,” said Patience Malaba, Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County. “Many families in our state are burdened by high energy costs, which hit our most vulnerable communities the hardest. Ensuring that everyone has access to affordable energy is not just an economic necessity, but a moral imperative.”

Some customers have already received the credit directly from their utility and have written or called to express how much it means to them.

“This is a big help. I get less than $12,000 a year. I’m disabled and my medical expenses leave me with so little income. This goes over the top for me and makes me happy; one less thing I have to pay cash for,” said Peggy, a City of Centralia utilities customer.

“If I could reach through the phone right now, I would give you a hug. This help was very much needed,” said Zita, a Clark Public Utilities customer.

Additional energy-related state and federal incentive and rebate programs can be found at climate.wa.gov.

Report: 250,000 Washington households spend more than 6% of their income on energy

The Washington Families Clean Energy grant program aims to directly assist those most impacted by energy costs, acknowledging that these communities also often face the highest energy burdens, including pollution that can affect health.

Energy burden, defined as a percentage of household income spent on energy bills, disproportionately affects low-income households, communities of color, rural households, renter households, and households living on fixed incomes. As the Department of Commerce’s 2023 Energy Burden Report shows, about 250,000 households in the state spend more than 6% of their income on energy costs.

Statewide, the report found that energy-burdened households equate to annual costs of $844 on average per household or $234 million after bill reductions from energy assistance programs. The Washington Families Clean Energy Credits program is designed to help alleviate some of that burden, making energy more affordable and accessible for all.

The Clean Energy Credits for Washington Families Grant Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

View photos and video from today’s event on Commerce’s flickr site.