Thousands Of PG&E Customers Now Eligible For Lower Bills

CARE Program's New Income Guidelines Take Effect June 1, 2012

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Jun 01, 2012, 06:21 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced that thousands of gas and electric customers may now be eligible to receive a discount on their monthly energy bill through the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program. With hot summer temperatures right around the corner, now is an ideal time for PG&E's eligible customers to sign up.

Every year, the California Public Utilities Commission adjusts the maximum qualifying income levels for the CARE program to reflect current federal poverty guidelines. The latest adjustment to CARE means thousands of PG&E customers may now qualify for the program based on their pre-tax annual income, as follows:

Size of Household	Previous Income Guidelines (June 1, 2011 – May 31, 2012)	New Income Guidelines (June 1, 2012 – May 31, 2013)
1	$31,800	$22,340
2	$31,800	$30,260
3	$37,400	$38,180
4	$45,100	$46,100
5	$52,800	$54,020
6	$60,500	$61,940
7	$68,200	$69,860
8	$75,900	$77,780
Each Additional Person Add	$7,700	$7,920

On average, CARE saves households $50 per month on their gas and electric bill. Since the program's inception in 1989, PG&E customers enrolled in CARE have saved more than $5.2 billion on their energy bills.

Currently more than 1.5 million customers throughout PG&E's service area are enrolled in CARE. Thousands of additional households in Northern and Central California are eligible for CARE, but not yet enrolled.

Eligible PG&E customers can apply for CARE by going online to www.pge.com/care and be enrolled in the program within two business days. Customers may also enroll through the toll-free multi-lingual assistance line at (866) 743-2273. The discount will appear on their bill after a full billing cycle.

In addition to the CARE program, PG&E customers may also be eligible for the Energy Savings Assistance Program which offers income-qualified renters and homeowners with easy, free solutions to help manage their energy use and save money on their monthly energy bills. Additional details, as well as eligibility requirements and enrollment instructions, can be found at www.pge.com/energysavings .

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company