Can't pay your electric bill? Here are some resources that may get you through these difficult times …
(This post was updated June 16th, 2018)
At one point, I was on the benevolence committee at our church. During one stint of a couple of weeks, we had at least four requests come for help with electrical bills. This drives home that people are really struggling. People will sacrifice a lot of things before they lose electricity.
Your electric bill should be one of the first bills you pay
Once the electricity is shut off, there is usually a reinstatement fee in addition to back charges, so keeping the power on if at all possible is preferable to letting it lapse, not just for comfort and standard of living, but financially as well.
Your electric bill and other utility bills should be way up on the list of the ones you pay. According to GreenPath.com, you should pay your bills in this order (utilities are #3):
- Food, medicine, and child care. The motivation is that things can be replaced, but people cannot.
- Housing. If you don't have shelter, then paying your electric bill doesn't much matter.
- Utilities. For reasons mentioned above. Also, food tends to spoil in a room-temperature refrigerator and freezer.
- Auto. Not having reliable transportation can impact your job.
- Child support. Dovetails into child care.
- Income taxes. Not paying can lead to wage garnishment and penalties.
- Unsecured debts like credit card and student loan debt.
How to avoid getting your electricity shut off
Here are a few ways to help keep the power on if it's about ready to be cut off:
- Make payment arrangements with the power company. This may or may not work, but it doesn't hurt to ask. If the time for shut-off is approaching and a lot of money is owed, they may accept smaller installment payments and keep your power on. It's not a free ride but it can possibly save the extra cost of turning it back on.
- Check NeedHelpPayingBills.com. This appears to be a fairly complete one-stop-shopping website for places that can assist with bills. It's broken down by some metro areas, and by state. This page deals with electric bills in particular.
- Find a church or other organization that can pledge payment to the company. Our church is able to do this. We can call the power company on behalf of someone right before the power is to be shut off, say that we'll pay the amount needed to keep it on, and they'll keep the power running even if they receive payment after the cutoff time. This gives a small amount of extra time before the cut-off.
- If you're a member of a church, let your benevolence committee or pastor/priest know. Sometimes members of your church will lend a helping hand, anonymously or otherwise. I'm reminded of a segment of one of the videos in Financial Peace University. A woman in a church was having trouble paying her bills. Word got back to one of the other members; this other member offered to take care of the problem. She paid the woman's electric bill ahead for a year, and the woman would never know who did it.
These are the tips I'm aware of. I'd like to hear others if you know of any!
After working in collections for years, probably the best thing you can do is ask your church or friends to front a little cash to get you through you tough times. People can be too proud to ask for help, but in a situation like this you really need to suck it up and ask, the worst they can say is no but the chance of getting help is worth the hit to your pride.
I would like to add that many electric companies have energy assistance programs for low-income or otherwise needy individuals. It may be worth while contacting your electric company and seeing if you qualify.
Many electric companies also offer payment plans where you pay a single flat rate each month. This rate is calculated based on your average monthly electric use per year. You don’t pay less money in total with this plan but it does even out the payments so that those months where you use a lot of power (e.g. summer) don’t result in a massive spike in your bill.
Some utility companies have care funds for people who are temporarily unable to pay their bills. Check with the company if they have any sort of assistance program. I know on my bill I can opt to donate $1 – $2/bill to the relief fund.
Thanks for the extra points!
my electric is going to be shutoff in 20min. I have seek out to churches and no help. I have asked friends and family and also went to soilservice and still no help. Witch makes me laugh because I have done my share to help people. Even when I realy don’t have it to give. because thats what my father taught me to do. I think its so sad how are country has gotten so gready and and we don’t help are friends and family in time of need. y faith in god is strong and yes maybe I lean on god alot. But he said to love and help each other. Letting my pride down trust me I have let pride go along time ago. But I will learn from this, why should I give my shirt off for a person when there not willing to do the same?
I think its great that your church does try to help people but this is why I’m proud to say that I am southern baptist because we might be small churches but we weclome you for who you are and not what you got.
That statement is so very true my ex husband is facing getting his power turned off he was in a bad motorcycle wreck and unable to work right now they’ve already given him two weeks extension none of the churches will help and neither will Energy Assistance so I don’t know what to do to help him
Oh man. Sorry to hear about this.
Don’t know if you’ve found this resource, but it may provide some more leads.
If I owned a power company, I would have a program for people who live in poverty. I would not charge the same rates to all income levels. If you make more you pay more! Paying the same rate as a rich man cannot be justified when you are a poor man! I am facing foreclosure! I am losing everything! I do not have the gift of finance! I am man enough to admit that! I cannot handle money! I do not wish to. So, I let someone else do it for me and they ruined me! I trusted others to take care of my money! Bad choice! Now I will be homeless! At least I won’t have a power bill! I can’t even buy food! I have no income. I lost my job! I am totally disabled! I have no family to turn too! I am going to a place. I hope I make it there before I starve! Then I can lay down and die! Someone should some day devise a plan for the poor so they will not be homeless, ever!!! Thank you!
my power is off. i have 2 children 8 and 4 year old. i dont go back to work until school goes back. please help