One-fifth of WA households to get $200 off electricity bills


Climate Lab is a Seattle Times initiative that studies the effects of climate change in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The project is funded in part by the Bullitt Foundation, Jim and Birte Falconer, Mike and Becky Hughes, the University of Washington and the Walker Family Foundation, and its financial sponsor is the Seattle Foundation.

About one-fifth of all Washington electricity customers will be eligible for a $200 energy credit this summer, funded by the state’s landmark climate law.

An estimated 675,000 low- and moderate-income households meet the income requirements for the benefit. The $150 million program is funded by the Climate Commitment Act’s carbon pricing program, which requires the state’s biggest polluters to reduce their emissions or buy allowances to cover them. The state’s carbon allowance auctions have raised more than $2 billion since the start of 2023.

In November, voters will decide whether to repeal the program in its entirety through Initiative 2117. Supporters of the program have touted various subsidies and programs, hoping to demonstrate the value of the policy and the funding it provides. Critics of the program have described it as a cash grab from the government that has led to higher prices for utilities, fuel and other consumer goods.

The energy credit provides an “immediate benefit” as other Climate Commitment Act programs, like heat pumps and solar installations, become more accessible to low-income households, Gov. Jay Inslee said in a news release.

The electricity credit will be one of the most direct, immediate and far-reaching benefits of the Climate Commitment Act. Amid growing demand for electricity driven by factors such as electric vehicles, extreme weather and data centers, planners have sounded the alarm about the Pacific Northwest’s energy forecast over the next five years.

The credit also comes at a time of high consumer prices, two years after record inflation, and Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy have proposed raising electricity rates by 11 percent and 17 percent over two years, respectively. (The proposed rates are generally higher than those ultimately approved.)

Utilities will distribute the one-time credit directly to eligible customer accounts by September 15. Some customers who are already enrolled in low-income energy assistance programs through their utility or local community agencies for nutrition or weatherization assistance will automatically receive the credit.

Other customers will have to request this from their utility.

Customers can visit wacleanenergycredits.com to see if they are eligible. Applicants will need to provide the name of their energy provider, account number, the county they live in, the number of people in their household and their total gross annual income for 2023 for all household members.

About half of the 675,000 households eligible for the credit will see it automatically applied, according to the Commerce Department.

The program requires utilities to prioritize customers with incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median income.

If funding is sufficient, eligibility may be extended to 150% of the area median income. In Seattle, Everett and Vancouver, the income for a qualifying four-person household ranges from approximately $110,950 to $226,050. In areas with the lowest cost of living, the qualifying income for a four-person household could range from $72,000 to $135,000.

According to the department, utilities participating in the program represent approximately 99.6 percent of the state’s residential electric customers.

According to a 2023 Department of Commerce report, about 250,000 Washington state households are “energy burdened,” meaning they spend more than 6% of their income on energy costs from electricity, propane, wood and natural gas. Even after bill reductions from existing assistance programs, those costs amount to about $844 per year on average for a household and $234 million statewide.

Will Credit Save the Climate Commitment Act?

Asked at a news conference Monday in Seattle, Inslee said the program was launched now because the application website was ready. The program had been planned during the last legislative session and lawmakers had mentioned it last December.

Still, Inslee took the opportunity to say that the electricity credit is part of a suite of Climate Commitment Act programs designed to help lower energy costs for low-income people, including free bus rides, funding for ferries and help with heat pumps and insulation.

Approval of Initiative 2117 would only mean a reduction in energy aid, he said.

“You can’t overstate the damage that (I-2117 organizers) could do to these families,” Inslee said at a news conference Monday in Seattle.

The fact that local polls show nearly a fifth of voters are undecided about the initiative suggests that few people are paying attention to it, said Troy Abel, a professor of environmental policy at Western Washington University. These direct credits to consumers should at least raise the profile of the Climate Commitment Act.

While climate change is not among voters’ top issues, inflation and the high cost of living are, Abel said, citing national polls.

“This definitely looks like a political move by the governor and the Legislature to address the perception that people are having to pay more for gas in our state because of the Climate Commitment Act, even though that is a seemingly erroneous perception,” Abel said.

Last year, state officials estimated that gas prices likely increased by 25 to 35 cents because of costs passed on by oil companies.

Aseem Prakash, a political scientist at the University of Washington, said he was “very skeptical” that the electricity subsidy would significantly move the program.

Local polls on the climate repeal initiative roughly mirror voter reaction to the 2016 carbon tax proposal, Prakash said. While opinion polls show that the majority of Americans support climate policy, Prakash added, not all of them are likely willing to tax themselves to support climate causes.

The broader story is that the Climate Commitment Act is in trouble, in part because of a failed communication effort by Gov. Inslee, said Prakash, who ultimately wants the program to survive.

The governor had the opportunity to say that consumers will feel some costs of the climate bill, but we’re giving the money back and here’s how, Prakash said. Instead, he spent most of his capital advocating for higher gasoline prices, Prakash said, which is a losing strategy.

Jaime Smith, a spokeswoman for the governor’s office, said in an email that Inslee spent time highlighting the many programs — from heat pumps to solar projects and more — that support communities across the state.

“These stories are all over the state, for those who look for them,” Smith wrote.

How to register

If you already participate in a utility assistance program, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or another program that helps seniors or people with disabilities, the Department of Commerce says the credit will be automatically applied to your account. The same goes for customers enrolled in assistance programs through their local community agencies, such as weatherization assistance or nutrition assistance. These customers can also confirm their participation with their utility.

Other customers should go to wacleanenergycredits.com to see if they are eligible.

To get started, users will need to select their energy supplier and enter their account number, street address and postcode. If you followed the link from an SMS from your energy supplier, your account number should already be entered.

After this step, you will be asked to verify your account information before being asked to enter a mobile number for an SMS verification code. If you do not have a mobile number, you will be asked to call a number listed on the page.

After entering the six-digit code, you will be asked to indicate the county in which your household resides and the number of people in the household. The website will then give you three options and you will need to select the income bracket that best describes your total gross annual income for 2023.

In Seattle or Everett, the three options for a four-person household are less than $110,950, between $11,950 and $226,050 and more than $226,060. These numbers represent the thresholds for the area’s median income levels of 80% and 150%.

No documents will be requested from you.

Before submitting the request, users must certify that they are the owner of the account and that all information contained in the request is “true and complete to the best of” their knowledge.



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