A Bronx visit highlights statewide utility discounts that eligible Mohawk Valley households can also check.

New York’s Energy Affordability Program drew more than 21,000 additional household applications in the two weeks after Gov. Kathy Hochul launched an enrollment drive, the governor’s office said Oct. 1. Hochul visited seniors at the BronxWorks Morris Older Adult Center to encourage more eligible residents to seek monthly electric and natural gas bill discounts.

The visit took place in the Bronx, but the program is statewide. Eligible households in Utica and the Mohawk Valley can review the same state guidance and follow the application route for their utility. Residents should not assume the benefit is limited to seniors or New York City.

The governor’s announcement says about one million households are enrolled and estimates another 2.5 million are eligible. The Department of Public Service’s program page explains the eligibility rules and links to utility applications.

What the Energy Affordability Program does

The Energy Affordability Program, often called EAP, provides monthly discounts on eligible customers’ electric or natural gas utility bills. The discount appears directly on the bill. It is intended to reduce the share of household income spent on energy.

DPS describes an energy burden target of no more than 6 percent of household income for eligible customers. That is a program goal, not a promise that every household’s actual bill will always stay below that share. Usage, rates, household circumstances and the applicable discount still matter.

The new application count also needs a clear label. The release reports applications, not 21,000 confirmed approvals or 21,000 households already receiving credits. Those numbers should not be used interchangeably.

For households already enrolled, the important question is whether the discount appears on the correct account. For people who may qualify but do not see a credit, the next step is to contact the utility or use its official application process.

Who can qualify under current rules

DPS says all New York households below state median income are eligible, except that area median income applies to customers served by Con Edison, National Grid in New York City and National Grid on Long Island. Income limits depend on the program’s current thresholds and household information.

The state says eligibility expanded as of Jan. 13, 2026, to include customers below median income who did not qualify under earlier thresholds. That means a household should review current rules even if it was previously told it did not qualify.

Receiving certain public benefits is another route to eligibility. DPS lists several qualifying programs, including:

• Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
• Medicaid.
• Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.
• Federal Public Housing Assistance.
• Veterans Disability or Survivors Pension.
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Safety Net Assistance.

The official page also lists other programs, including certain programs for tribal lands. Readers should check the full list rather than rely only on the examples above.

A distinction for Social Security recipients

DPS names Supplemental Security Income as a qualifying benefit. It does not list ordinary Social Security retirement benefits as an identical benefit category. Retirement income may still be relevant when a household applies under the income-based rules.

A retired person therefore should not assume automatic eligibility or automatic rejection based only on receiving Social Security. The utility or official application process can determine which route applies to the household.

How Mohawk Valley households can apply

Start with the utility named on your bill. The DPS page provides separate instructions for participating utilities. It also distinguishes customers receiving qualifying public assistance from those applying based on income without one of those benefits.

1. Review your latest bill. Find the utility name, account number and any existing affordability credit.
2. Check the official eligibility guidance. Use the DPS page or ny.gov/EAP, the state’s short link.
3. Choose the right application route. Customers receiving a qualifying benefit can use their utility’s EAP process. Customers applying based on income can follow the expanded-program link provided by DPS.
4. Follow the application’s document instructions. Prepare the information it requests rather than send unrelated personal records.
5. Keep confirmation of your submission. Save any confirmation number or receipt and ask the utility how to check the result.
6. Review subsequent bills. Confirm whether the account has been enrolled and the credit applied.

Some people receiving qualifying public benefits may be enrolled automatically. DPS says customers who believe they qualify but are not enrolled, or who want to verify enrollment, should contact their utility.

National Grid Upstate customers

The DPS page directs National Grid Upstate customers receiving a qualifying public benefit to the company’s online EAP application. It also provides a downloadable form and ways to submit required documentation.

For that benefit-based route, DPS lists Affordability@nationalgrid.com, fax 315-460-7620 and a mailing address of National Grid, Attn: Energy Affordability Program, 300 Erie Blvd. W. C-3, Syracuse, NY 13202. Confirm current submission instructions on the official page before sending records.

For customers not receiving a qualifying public benefit, DPS links to the expanded Energy Affordability Program application. The state page also links to income-threshold information. The correct route matters because the same documents may not serve every applicant.

What enrollment changes—and what to ask

DPS says utilities automatically enroll EAP participants in budget billing. Customers can opt out of budget billing by contacting the utility. It is useful to ask how the discount and budget billing will appear on the account so the monthly statement is easier to understand.

A discount does not establish the answer to every billing problem. If a household also has overdue charges or another account concern, ask the utility about those issues separately. DPS links to additional utility grant programs on its EAP page.

The agency’s guidance says the utility can explain eligibility, monthly benefit amounts and application procedures. Residents should seek that account-specific information before treating any general news article as a promise of a particular dollar amount.

Why the enrollment push matters

The gap between the state’s estimated eligible population and current enrollment is the reason for the outreach effort. The governor’s office says many of the recent applicants qualify because eligibility was expanded.

DPS describes the practical benefit as “monthly bill discounts applied directly on your bills.” For readers, that is the most useful point: eligibility must translate into enrollment on the account before a discount can help the household budget.

Check the current rules, use the official route for your utility and keep a record of the application. If you believe you qualify but do not see a credit, contact the utility to verify enrollment and ask what is still needed.