OLYMPIA—The Washington Department of Commerce last week announced the successful completion of the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits Program (WFCEC), an initiative that provided $200 energy bill credits to more than 690,000 low- and moderate-income households across the state. The program provided financial relief to 23% of Washington’s households, supported by electric utilities serving 99.6% of the state’s residential population.
Snohomish PUD was awarded nearly $14 million in funding, enough to provide bill credits to nearly 70,000 of the PUD’s more than 340,000 residential customers, the agency said.
“We are grateful to the Department of Commerce and state of Washington for these funds, which will support our most vulnerable customers with their electric bills,” said John Hoffman, PUD Assistant General Manager Customer & Energy Services. “Bill assistance for our income-qualified customers is an important part of providing affordable electricity for all.”
The Legislature established the WFCEC program in the 2024 operating budget (page 149, line 10) with a $150 million budget and a deadline of September 15, 2024. Despite the tight program timeline, Commerce, with the participation of nearly 60 electric utilities, successfully distributed all $150 million of the program’s funds in less than 100 days. The program reached customers in both urban and rural communities, showcasing the power of collaboration between the state and its utility partners.
Funding for WFCEC is provided by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
2 Responses
My neighbor in Okanogan county missed out on this opportunity. Any way to still get the $200 credit from Okanogan PUD? Thanks.
It wasn’t offered in The City of Richland.