Winter is officially here, and PSEG Long Island wants to help customers stay safe and warm and save money and energy. As the mercury starts to drop, the utility offers simple, energy-saving tips:

• Lower your thermostat by just one degree to potentially reduce your heating bill. Lowering it two degrees during the day and five to 10 degrees at night will save even more.
• Use a programmable thermostat to automatically manage your home’s heating and cooling needs. ENERGY STAR estimates that properly used programmable thermostats can save the average American household about $180 a year. In addition, PSEG Long Island offers rebates on smart thermostats.
• Install a high efficiency air source heat pump (ASHP) to lower energy usage, save money and provide greater comfort in cold and hot months. Robust rebates are available from PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort Program for ducted ASHP units, ducted geothermal heat pumps and ductless mini split systems. Additionally, PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort PLUS program offers enhanced rebates for customers who meet certain income qualifications.
• Replace inefficient incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs since, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, lighting accounts for about 15% of the electricity used in the home, and LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer.
• Install timers and motion detectors to automatically manage indoor and outdoor lighting and help ensure lights are not on when they’re not needed.
• Seal windows and doorframes with weather stripping or caulk, and remove or cover window air conditioners to help to prevent drafts that waste energy and money.
• Ceiling fans can be used to save energy in winter. Setting a fan to rotate clockwise on low pulls cool air toward the ceiling, pushing warm air down into a room.
• Reduce “phantom power” by using energy efficient power strips or unplugging electronic devices when they’re not in use. Items plugged into outlets use electricity even when they’re turned off.
• Close fireplace dampers when not in use: Stop warm air from escaping through chimneys.
• Move furniture and drapes away from heat sources: Remove furniture or items that block vents. Open any register or baseboard dampers.
• Use your blinds: Open your curtains and blinds that face the sun on sunny days to warm your home, and close them at night to keep the warm air inside.

For more information on energy saving tips and PSEG Long Island’s energy efficiency programs, please visit https://www.psegliny.com/savemoney.

Assistance available to those struggling with bills

PSEG Long Island wants to work with any customer struggling to pay their bills and help them find a solution. The company encourages anyone with a past-due account balance to call 1-800-490-0025 so a representative can help them develop a deferred payment agreement tailored to the needs of their household.

Additionally, PSEG Long Island wants to make customers aware of the financial assistance programs offered by New York State:

• The New York State Electric and Gas Bill Relief Program: Customers enrolled in PSEG Long Island’s Household Assistance Program will automatically receive a credit toward their arrears as of May 1, 2022, via this new, state-run program. Customers who meet the eligibility requirements and have not yet enrolled in the Household Assistance Program have until Dec. 31, 2022 to enroll in the Household Assistance Program to qualify for this bill credit.
• Customers who have received a payment on their PSEG Long Island account through the New York State-administered Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) also qualify for the New York State Electric and Gas Bill Relief Program. As ERAP payments continue to be received, the New York State Electric and Gas Bill Relief Program will remain open through Dec. 31, 2022.
• The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can provide a heating fuel grant to eligible homeowners and renters depending on income, household size and how they heat their home. A family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $5,485 and still qualify for benefits. This benefit opened on Nov. 1. For more information, visit https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/.
• Emergency HEAP, a subset of the HEAP program, offers eligible customers a grant to help low- and middle-income New Yorkers avoid having their home heating disconnected or exhausting their heating fuel source. This emergency portion of HEAP is scheduled to open on Jan. 3, 2023.  If customers are experiencing an emergency, they can apply for this benefit by reaching out to their local Department of Social Services location, which can be found here: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/
• For low-income households facing no-heat situations, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is also accepting applications for its heating equipment repair or replacement benefit. Eligible homeowners can now apply for up to $4,000 for repair or $8,000 for replacement of a furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment necessary to keep the household's primary heating source working. Additionally, eligible households can receive energy efficiency services, which includes the cleaning of primary heating equipment to allow for its safe and efficient operation. Customers can apply for this benefit by reaching out to their local Department of Social Services location, which can be found here: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/contacts/

Customers who apply for and receive one of these state or federal benefits are automatically placed on PSEG Long Island’s Household Assistance rate and the residential energy affordability program providing energy efficiency measures and suggestions to help lower consumption.

United Way’s Project Warmth

Project Warmth is an emergency assistance program administered by United Way of Long Island to help low-income families and individuals with energy emergencies. To receive funds from Project Warmth, customers must be a resident of Nassau or Suffolk County or the Rockaways; show financial need; provide an acceptable explanation for any unpaid energy bills; have exhausted or been denied emergency HEAP assistance; not topped their your oil tank in any previous year. Project Warmth is available until funds are exhausted. More information can be found here: http://www.unitedwayli.org/project_warmth.asp.

PSEG Long Island

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract.  PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.