Potomac Edison Maryland
Assistance and Service Programs - Help Paying Your BillDo you need help with your electric bill? Please review these programs for the solution that works best for you.
Energy Assistance Programs
- Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS)
Serves as liaison between the customer and the customer’s creditors and provides budget counseling, a supervised Debt Management Program, and suspension of penalty and interest charges on debt for customers overburdened with debt.
- Community Energy Fund (CEF)
A need based program that provides assistance to qualifying residential customers who need emergency help paying their electric bill. The company’s shareholders match donations from customers 50 cents on each dollar, up to the program limits. The distribution of funds is administered by local administering agencies in Potomac Edison’s service territory.
- Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP)
A state funded program administered by the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Home Energy Programs. This program helps low-income electric customers pay their electric bills. Help may be available whether customers have active electric service, terminated service, owe outstanding bills and are applying for new service. EUSP may help eligible electric customers with arrearage retirement, bill assistance or weatherization.
- Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP)
A federally funded program administered by the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Home Energy Programs. The grant helps low income customers pay their fuel bills. This program promotes energy conservation, customer financial responsibility and energy independence.
- Utility Service Protection Plan (USPP)
A federally sponsored program administered by the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Home Energy Programs. This program provides customers certain protections during the heating season.
- Social Service Agency List -- 1-800-686-0011
To find the agency in your area, please call our Contact Center.
Payment Arrangements
Contact us about the following programs:
- Extended Due Date
If you are at least 60 years old and receive a Social Security or pension check, or if you receive disability assistance, and your electric bill is usually due just before your monthly benefit check comes, we can extend your payment due date until after your check arrives.
- Extended Payment Plan
If conditions make it difficult to pay your electric bill on time, we can arrange an extended payment plan. This maintains service while you make payments more suited to your financial situation.
- Third Party Notification
Select a third party (a friend, relative, clergy, or social service agency) to be notified, along with yourself, if your electric service is about to be disconnected. The third party is not obligated to pay overdue bills, but can remind you of pending disconnection and help you make payment arrangements.
- Military Deferred Payment Program (Call 1-800-736-3401)
This program is designed to assist customers who are having financial difficulties because their family members have been called to active military duty. Customers participating in the program may elect to defer paying either all or part of their monthly electric bill. When the family member in the military service returns home, the account will be reviewed to determine payment arrangements for the balance owed.
Customers who have switched to an alternative generation supplier may defer the charges paid to their supplier only if that supplier offers a deferred payment program. If a supplier does not offer a deferred payment program, the supplier charges must be paid each month.
Medical Assistance Programs
Contact us about the following programs:
- Critical Customer Care Program
The Critical Customer Care Program identifies customers who use certain electrically operated life sustaining medical equipment in their home. The program helps customers - for whom a service interruption could be immediately life threatening, or would make operation of necessary medical or life supporting equipment impossible or impractical - prepare for planned and unplanned power outages. Please call us if someone in your home uses this type of medical equipment.
- Medical Certification
Customers with severe health problems may have a licensed physician certify in writing that a termination of electric service would be especially dangerous. The medical certification will postpone the termination of electric service for 30 days. The certification is designed to provide the customer with additional time to pay their past-due balance. The customer is still responsible for the past-due amount and will be given the opportunity to pay the balance in monthly installments.