BC Hydro’s Customer Crisis Fund (CCF) has been extended to help customers keep the lights on.
According to the B.C. government, the program is meant to help out those in financial distress because of a job loss, loss of a family member, injury or illness. Grants of up to $600 are available to keep services running for those who are eligible.
“We recognize there will be times when people may need some financial assistance to catch up on their hydro bill. As many families struggle to recover from the impacts and stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, that time is now,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “By extending BC Hydro’s Customer Crisis Fund, we are preventing disconnections, helping families get back on their feet and making life more affordable for British Columbians.”
The province said a pilot version of the CCF ended on May 31, 2021, three years after its launch. In that time, it gave power bill relief to more than 11,000 residential customers.
The program is funded by a monthly 13 cent charge applied to residential customers’ bills, which has been stopped as of June 1st.
Temporary continuation of the program will be fueled by $5.9 million in surplus that represents the difference between revenues already collected and the cost of providing the program.
B.C. has given the green light to the B.C. Utilities Commission to continue the grant program.