ComEd reminds customers that expanded financial assistance options only available for a short time

While $500 in grants and other, more flexible payment options are still on the table for customers of ComEd struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, the company sent out a reminder this week that these assistance options will only be available for a limited time.

These options include both $500 in bill assistance for eligible low-income customers now past due on their accounts and plans of up to 18 installed payments with 10 percent own payments for certain residential customers. In the case of the direct bill assistance, households in question must earn 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level. For the flexible payment options, the plan offers further reductions for low-income residential customers and those facing financial hardship, allowing them to spread the payback over 24 installments without a down payment.

“The public health and financial crises brought on by the pandemic do not appear to be waning anytime soon,” ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez said. “Because our vulnerable customers are hardest hit by the economic impacts of the pandemic, we are suspending disconnects until March of next year for our low-income customers. However, it is important for families to take advantage of expanded customer-assistance options that are available for a limited time so that account balances do not grow to a point where it is hard to recover.”

While no end date has yet been set for these options, ComEd’s warning is a reminder that they are not permanent fixes. Other options will remain on the table, however, including the averaging of payments over 12 month periods to better manage monthly energy bills, the CARE Financial Assistance Grants program for customers struggling to meet energy expenses, and Supplemental Arrearage Assistance, which seeks to counter debt accrued during periods of nonpayment.