dpNEW YORK (WABC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a statewide enrollment drive Tuesday to encourage New Yorkers to sign up for a utility bill discount program that the state estimates could benefit 2.5 million eligible households.
Speaking on the Lower East Side, Hochul highlighted the State’s Energy Affordability Program, which offers qualifying residents discounts of up to $500 annually on their utility bills.
According to the governor, eligibility expanded earlier this year to include anyone earning below the state or area’s median income.
For example, a household of three in New York City making less than $145,800 per year can enroll in the program.
The enrollment push comes days after Hochul announced a separate rebate initiative that would provide eligible households with one-time checks of up to $200. The rebates are part of a $1 billion energy relief effort as gas costs continue to rise.
“It’s just part of an ongoing continuous effort to help New Yorkers, realize that this is the best place to live and raise a family and have a business. But we also understand the enormous pressures that families and businesses are under, and we’re helping do whatever we can,” Hochul said.
Energy costs have become a central issue in Hochul’s reelection campaign.
On Tuesday, her Republican opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, held a separate news conference criticizing the governor’s efforts.
“Kathy Hochul thinks we’re stupid and we don’t know that she’s trying to buy votes because she knows that her utility bills have skyrocketed. Our utility rates are 70% higher…than the national average. And what is she giving us? Peanuts,” Blakeman said.
According to the state, one million New Yorkers have applied for the discount program so far. Residents can enroll through the program’s website at NY.gov/EAP.
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