ComEd encourages income-eligible customers to be ready to apply for utility-bill assistance when the new program year begins Sept. 1. For fiscal year 2022, $8.3 billion in LIHEAP funding was provided by the federal government – the most ever to help Americans meet their energy needs. In Illinois, LIHEAP provides a one-time grant, per program year, with no payback required, based on a household’s income and size. A customer’s annual household income cannot exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines which, for a family of four, is $4,625 a month. Homeowners, renters and subsidized housing tenants are eligible to apply for assistance. Customers do not have to be behind on their bills to receive a grant. Residents of Cook County can call the LIHEAP hotline at 800-571-2332. Residents outside Cook County can call 877-411-9276. ComEd works closely with its Community Action Agencies to connect customers to grants and programs like LIHEAP and ComEd’s Supplemental Arrearage Reduction Program (SARP), which is available to ComEd residential customers who qualified to receive energy-assistance benefits from LIHEAP. In 2021 alone, ComEd helped connect more than 225,000 eligible customers to more than $146 million in energy assistance. Any customer experiencing difficulty paying their electric bill can learn more about energy-assistance options, including how to apply, atComEd.com/PaymentAssistance.