Energy Credits

September 15 deadline to apply for $200 energy credit

Klickitat, Skamania PUDs, WAGAP help clients navigate the application

Klickitat and Skamania counties, WA (August 21, 2024) - Applications to receive a $200 energy credit are now open for low-income residential customers whose households have an Area Median Income (AMI) of 150 percent or less through September 15. 

Klickitat PUD hopes to assist 2,400 households with $491,000 in funding awarded recently through the Clean Energy Credits for Washington Families, a Washington State Department of Commerce program aimed at relieving some of the burden of energy costs for low-income families. The state’s Climate Commitment Act funds the program. 

In Klickitat County, those already enrolled in energy assistance programs since January 2022, such as Klickitat PUD Senior Discounts, Low Income Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), or Operation Warm Heart (OWH), will qualify automatically. Customers can reach out to the Goldendale office at 509-773-5891 or the White Salmon office at 509-493-2255 to ask if they qualify. 

Skamania County PUD #1 is also participating in the $200 energy credit program. Customers who have received assistance from their Low Income Rebate Program or LIHEAP will automatically qualify. For questions concerning whether a household qualifies or for help to apply, contact Skamania County PUD #1 by phone at 509-427-5126 or stop by their office at 1492 Wind River Hwy, Carson, WA 98610.

To confirm eligibility, customers can visit https://wacleanenergycredits.com with the name of their utility and their account number to see if they qualify for the $200 credit. If they do, the system will walk them through a brief application process. If the application is successful, the credit is applied directly to the client’s electric utility bill.

Some qualifying accounts may have already received the $200 credit. A customer can verify if this happened by contacting their PUD listed above.

For those wanting a deeper understanding of the income limits, the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website has charts for the 2024 AMI limits for assistance programs. Searches can calculate county-level information, state calculations, and HUD Fair Market Rent/Income Limits Areas (HMFA). 

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il2024/select_Geography.odn?STATES=53.0&statelist=53.0&stname=&wherefrom=%24wherefrom%24&statefp=00&year=&ne_flag=0&selection_type=&incpath=%24incpath%24&data=2024.

Energy Assistance staff at Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) are also helping its Klickitat and Skamania county clients navigate the PUD’s application process. Contact Amber Youtsey at amber@wagap.org or call (509) 493-2662 extension 202 with any questions.

WAGAP also assists low-income individuals and families with other programs such as a food bank network, housing and rental assistance, support for those experiencing domestic violence or crime victims, and more. To connect with WAGAP programs for the first time, an online intake form is available at https://www.wagap.org/start or visit a WAGAP office in Stevenson, Bingen, or Goldendale.