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From YouTube: Energy Programs Videos 2023
Description
City of Chelsea, 3 Series, Video 1: How to understand your energy bill. Video 2: Understanding Utility Assistance Programs. Video 3: Understanding Income eligible service
Visit https://www.chelseama.gov/utility-resources to watch the rest of our three part PSA on Energy Programs, and find the Master Utility Resource Guide for information on how to cancel third party energy supplier contracts, apply for utility assistance programs like utility forgiveness plans, fuel assistance, and more!
Timecodes:
0:00 Intro
0:05 How to understand your energy bill
4:35 Understanding Utility Assistance Programs
8:48 Understanding Income eligible service
A
How
would
you
know
if
you're
being
overcharged
for
energy?
First,
we
need
to
understand
who
your
supplier
is.
Then
we
need
to
know
the
rate
at
which
you
are
being
charged
per
kwh
and
compare
that
to
the
cost
to
of
ever
sources
rates.
We
will
walk
you
through
these
steps
in
details
now
step
one
who
is
your
supplier,
even
though
every
source
is
the
only
electric
company
that
serves
households
in
Chelsea,
the
energy
provided
by
eversource
could
come
from
a
third-party
supplier.
A
You
can
find
out
who
your
supplier
is
by
looking
at
your
energy
bill
and
finding
the
word
supplier
towards
the
top
of
your
bill.
Most
residents
will
see
eversource
as
their
supply.
If
you
have
a
third
party
supplier,
you
will
see
a
name
of
a
different
company
listed
our
example.
Bill
has
residence
energy
shown,
for
example,
step
two.
What
is
your
supply
rate?
Your
supply
rate
tells
us
how
much
you
pay
per
kwh.
Your
total
price
also
depends
on
the
total
amount
of
kwh
you
consume.
A
A
A
As
we
just
saw,
eversource's
standard
residential
rate
is
roughly
0.20
cents
per
kwh.
You
may
be
paying
a
different
rate
if
you
have
a
different
third-party
energy
supplier
or
if
you
are
receiving
a
utility
discount.
If
you
noticed
you're
being
overcharged
by
a
third-party
supplier,
you
can
cancel
the
contract
by
contacting
the
company
directly.
You
can
ask
them
to
waive
any
early
termination
fees.
If
that's
applicable,
you
can
take
up
to
two
billing
cycles
for
your
supplier
to
revert
back
to
eversource.
A
If
you
are
not
being
overcharged,
be
mindful
that
your
generation
Services
charge
may
change
with
each
billing
cycle.
So
it's
important
to
her
to
monitor
your
supply
rate
regularly
step
three.
What
is
your
delivery
rate?
You
can
find
your
delivery
rate
underneath
your
supplier,
every
source's
basic
rate,
is
indicated
by
R1.
R1
means
that
you
don't
have
a
discount
applied
to
your
bills
and
you
pay
a
standard
rate.
A
If
you
see
R2,
this
means
that
you
are
on
an
energy
discounted
rate
with
eversource
and
the
rate
you
pay
is
lower
than
the
standard
rate
you
may
have
been
automatically
enrolled.
If
you
receive
some
form
of
income
eligible
service
such
as
snap
or
MassHealth,
how
can
you
change
your
delivery
rate?
We
will
go
over
resources
and
programs,
like
the
utility
discount
rate
utility
forgiveness
and
payment
plans
in
our
next
PSA,
for
a
master
guide
on
utility
resources,
including
a
sample
Bill
and
tips
on
understanding
your
utility
costs.
A
A
In
our
second
part
of
our
three-part
series,
we
will
learn
about
major
utility
assistance
programs.
How
do
you
get
a
discount
on
your
energy
bills?
People
who
qualify
for
income
eligible
services
such
as
SNAP
benefits
or
Mass
health,
can
get
discounted
energy
rates
through
the
eversource
discount
rate
program
to
apply
for
every
source's
discount
rate.
You
can
search
for
the
eversource
discount
rate
application
online
and
submit
the
application
with
proof
of
your
benefits.
A
Please
watch
our
first
part
of
the
PSA
series
on
understanding
your
energy
bills
and
learn
which
steps
you
should
take
first
now.
The
question
may
be:
is
there
any
financial
assistance
that
will
help
cover
heating
costs?
The
answer
is
yes.
If
you
are
Income
eligible,
you
can
apply
for
fuel
assistance
or
LIHEAP
through
CAPIC
fuel
assistance,
applications
run
from
November
through
April,
and
so,
if
you're,
a
first-time
applicant,
you
can
call
617-884-6130
to
schedule
an
application
appointment
with
a
CAPIC
fuel
assistance.
Team
member.
You
can
find
more
information
about
this
program
at
catholicinc.org.
A
What
can
eversource
do
about
the
past
due
balance
of
your
bill?
You
have
now.
If
you
are
Income
eligible
and
you
have
proof
of
your
service
benefits,
you
may
be
eligible
for
ever
source's
forgiveness
plan.
Once
you
enroll
in
the
discount
rate,
the
Forgiveness
plan
helps
stabilize
your
monthly
energy
costs
and
pardons
a
portion
of
your
utility
debt.
When
you
commit
to
monthly
payments,
you
can
also
avoid
shutoffs
this
way.
If
you
don't
receive
any
program
benefits,
you
may
be
eligible
for
a
utility
payment
plan.
A
This
is
similar
to
the
Forgiveness
plan,
in
that
it
stabilizes
your
monthly
utility
costs
and
protects
you
from
shutoffs
with
consistent
monthly
payments.
If
you
are
interested
in
either
of
these
programs
contact
your
utility
company
directly
to
see
if
you
qualify,
what
should
you
do
if
you
already
have
received
the
shutoff
notice
as
Massachusetts
residents,
we
are
granted
certain
rights
that
protect
us
from
shutoffs
under
certain
conditions,
if
any
of
the
following
conditions
apply.
A
To
make
it
easier
for
you
to
navigate
utility
assistance
programs,
you
may
be
eligible
for
we
have
created
a
utility
resource
guide
that
can
help.
You
understand
the
utility
resource
landscape,
Forum,
Master,
guide
on
utility
resources,
including
a
more
complete
list
of
utility
assistance
programs
details
on
how
to
apply
for
each
of
them
the
documentation
that
you
might
need.
Please
find
our
utility
resource
guide
in
The
Links
at
the
end
of
this
program
in
our
PSA.
We
are
sharing
tips
for
how
to
find
the
right
documentation
for
utility
assistance
program.
Enrollment.
A
Please
watch
the
second
PSA
of
our
three-part
series
to
know
more
about
utility
assistance
programs
you
may
qualify
for.
You
can
also
watch
our
first
PSA
if
you
need
help
understanding
your
energy
bill,
why
is
proof
of
benefits
so
important
for
utility
assistance?
Utility
assistance
programs
are
most
often
available
to
individuals
that
show
proof
of
income
eligible
services
such
as
SNAP
benefits
or
Mass
health.
These
benefits
make
it
easier
for
your
utility
company
to
verify
your
household's
income
and
need
level.
What
proof
should
you
provide
if
you
receive
more
than
one
income
eligible
service?
A
If
you
participate
in
more
than
one
benefit
program,
it's
important
to
ask
yourself
which
form
of
documentation
will
be
the
easiest
to
obtain.
Keep
in
mind
that
your
utility
companies
require
a
current
benefit
letter,
the
copy
of
the
benefit
letter
you
would
be
needed
to
provide
if
applicable,
would
be
current
of
that
year.
Why
doesn't
eversource
accept
a
mass
health
benefit
card?
Most
companies
do
not
accept
benefit
cards
such
as
MassHealth
or
DTA,
because
they
do
not
have
dates
or
proof
that
your
benefits
are
active.
A
If
you
only
qualify
for
Mass
Health
and
receive
no
other
benefits,
you
will
need
a
date,
a
dated
eligibility
letter.
You
can
request
this
from
your
medical
provider
or
from
MassHealth
directly.
If
you
don't
receive
benefits,
but
another
household
member
does,
do
you
still
qualify
for
utility
assistance?
A
In
most
cases,
the
person
that's
named
on
the
bill
needs
to
be
the
person
receiving
the
benefit
directly.
If
you
receive
DTA
benefits
for
yourself
or
on
behalf
of
a
dependent,
this
is
many
times,
but
not
always
one
of
the
easiest
forms
of
documentation.
You
can
find
proof
of
DTA
services
using
your
GTA
app.
A
This
completes
our
three-part
PSA
series
on
utility
resources
for
master
guide
on
utility
resources,
including
a
more
complete
list
of
income
eligible
services
and
where
to
Source
proof
of
benefits
for
each.
Please
find
our
utility
resource
guide
in
The
Links
at
the
end
of
this
program,
any
comments
or
questions
you
can
reach
out
to
Chelsea's
energy
Advocate
Bianca
Mercado
at
bi,
Mercado
chelsea.ma.gov.