PG&E:  Energy Service Disconnections for Non-Payment Will Continue to Be Paused, Now Through End of 2021

PG&E Partnering with the State on Implementation of New Program to Help Customers Reduce Past Due Energy Bill Balances Accrued During the Pandemic

 

Energy Service Disconnections for Non-Payment Will Continue to Be Paused, Now Through End of 2021

 

PG&E Automatically Enrolling All Residential and Small Business Customers with Past Due Balances Over 60 days in New Extended Payment Arrangements

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.— As part of our ongoing comprehensive efforts to help customers financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced last week service disconnections will not resume this year. The moratorium on energy service disconnections put in place by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in March 2020 is formally ending today but service disconnections will not resume in 2021. 

PG&E is automatically enrolling all residential and small business customers with past due balances over 60 days in new extended payment arrangements. We are also closely monitoring the development and implementation of the California Arrearage Payment Program (CAPP) included in the 2021-22 California State Budget. As part of the CAPP process, PG&E will not resume disconnections for residential and commercial customers eligible for CAPP until the CAPP program is finalized. 

 

The newly established CAPP program will offer financial assistance for California energy utility customers to help reduce past due energy bill balances accrued during the pandemic. Administered by the Department of Community Services and Development (CSD), the CAPP program dedicates $1 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to address Californian's energy debts incurred from March 4, 2020, to June 15, 2021. 

For months, PG&E has been working closely with CSD on program implementation details. PG&E anticipates CAPP funding to be applied directly to eligible customers’ accounts in the first quarter of 2022.

To coincide with the end of the moratorium today, PG&E has also automatically enrolled more than 450,000 eligible residential and small business customers in the new COVID-19 payment plan program this month. The newly established program automatically enrolls eligible customers who are 60 days past due in extended payment plans. Customers will be automatically enrolled on an ongoing basis based on eligibility through September 2022 to avoid service disconnections. Customers automatically enrolled in the new extended payment plans will be eligible for CAPP funding.

Ways for Customers to Save on Energy Bills

We encourage customers struggling to pay their bills to learn more about the following programs. Some customers can enroll in various programs without impacting eligibility for the extended payment plan or CAPP funding:

 

 

PG&E remains committed to providing support for customers during this transition, and we are here to help. Customers having a hard time paying their bills should contact PG&E immediately at (800) 743-5000 or visit pge.com/covid19. Financial resources for business customers are available here.