Who should pay for low-income utility assistance in PA?

1000s miss out on Pa. utility assistance, but regulators aren’t sold on plans for automatic enrollment

A new data-sharing agreement could help increase participation and advocates say auto-enrollment is the most effective way to sign more people up.

Who should pay for low-income utility assistance? In Pa., it all falls on residential customers

In Pennsylvania, residential customers shoulder the cost of utility assistance programs. Businesses and factories don’t have to contribute, unlike in other states.

Thousands Miss Out on Pa. Utility Assistance, but Regulators Aren’t Sold on Plans for Automatic Enrollment

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s electric and natural gas companies are required to offer discounted bills to low-income customers, but for years the programs have reached only a fraction of those who qualify. Now the long-run…

Who should pay for low-income utility assistance in PA?

HARRISBURG — As rising energy prices drive up the cost of the customer assistance programs that Pennsylvania electric and natural gas utilities are required to offer, the question of who should pay for them is still hotly disputed. In Pennsylvania, those costs are shouldered solely by residential customers. Businesses and factories don’t have to contribute, unlike in other states. The programs offer much-needed relief for the most vulnerable Pen…