How to get help paying your electric bills

At Bulb, we have two ways to help our members avoid disconnection due to a missed payment.

1. We can extend any bill up to 10 days past its original due date. This only applies to a single bill at a time, and can’t be applied towards your account balance.
2. We can set up a deferred payment plan. This requires taking an upfront installment of 50% of your past due amount. The remaining 50% would need to be paid within 30 days. This can be applied towards a single bill or an account balance. A switch hold will be placed on your meter until you’ve completed the payment plan.

Beyond these options, there are several local and state-wide programs available for bill payment assistance.

Texas Rent Relief Program

The state of Texas recently started a Rent Relief program to help people pay their regular household bills. Under this program, you may be able to get assistance paying for missed utility bills dating as far back as March 2020. Here are the criteria for eligibility:

• Your total household income must be at or below 80% of the median income for where you live. You can see median incomes by county here.
• At least one household member must be receiving unemployment benefits or have had a loss of income or financial hardship since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020
• You’re currently at risk of having unsafe or unstable living conditions related to missed utility bill payments
• Your primary residence must be in the state of Texas
• Your past due bills must not extend beyond March 13, 2020

Please visit the Texas Rent Relief website for more information.

Local Organizations

There are also many organizations across the state that may be able to provide utility bill assistance. A partial list is included below. Please note, you’ll need to reach out to the organization in your area to see if you qualify for assistance and provide any necessary information yourself.

If you don’t see an organization operating in your county, you can search for additional assistance using the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs website. Select “utility bill assistance” and type in your city or county name to find a list of relevant organizations in your area.