The Washington state Department of Commerce on Monday announced a Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program that will provide a $200 energy bill credit to eligible electricity customers.
The program will be 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 to announce the program 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 — or about 20% of all residential customers — will be eligible for the program, according to a Department of Commerce news release.
How the credit works
Utilities across the state will distribute a one-time $200 bill credit directly to eligible customer accounts by Sept. 15. 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, according to the Department of Commerce.
Anyone can go to https://wacleanenergycredits.com to 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 automated system will walk you through the rest of the process to get your credit.
Some customers may receive an SMS text message from their utility pointing them to the Clean Energy website. If you receive a text message, you will see that your account number is already entered when you go to the website, making it easier to apply.
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.
Commerce Director Fong reported that nearly all of the state's 60 electric utilities with residential customers have signed on to the program and more than 99.6% of all residential customers are served by participating utilities.
Report on 'energy burden'
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. 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.
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