ComEd offers grants to income-eligible customers during periods of documented hardship as assistance on past-due electric bills.

As Military Personnel:

People’s Gas provides financial assistance to residences with an actively deployed family member. Click here for more details. ComEd gives similar financial benefits to any customer in the military, active or honorably discharged. Click here for more details.

Other Payment Assistance Options:

ComEd offers due date extensions and waivers of late charges for eligible customers.See ComEd’s page for more information.

With their Share the Warmth program, People’s Gas provides heating grants to income-eligible residents. See People’s Gas’s page for more information and other financial programs.

By Switching to Solar

Illinois’ Solar for All program lowers low-income residents’ utility bills by providing assistance in installing and powering their homes with solar power. See more about Solar for All here.

By Being More Energy Efficient

You can also save money by making your home and energy usage more energy efficient with consideration of peak-time savings, weatherization programs, water meter installation.

Understanding your bill can be hard, but the Citizens Utility Board offers resources for better understanding your electric bill, gas bill, and water bills.

The current Utility Disconnection Avoidance Program works to help income-eligible households late on their utility bills by preventing shut offs if you apply for The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or The Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) and the program accepts applicants without regard to immigration status.

The city of Chicago also offers reduced rates on water/​sewer tax and will not shut off the water of income-eligible participants of the Utility Billing Relief Program for one year. 

ComEd currently offers a deferred payment plan to eligible residents. 

Peoples Gas also offers a deferred payment plan to eligible residents. 

Due to the pandemic, many internet providers (including AT&T and Comcast) are offering lower internet rates to income eligible families under the federal Emergency Broadband Benefit program.

Eligible residents who need repairs on their roof or porch may apply for the City of Chicago Roof and Porch Repair Program for the chance to win funding in a lottery-style drawing.

The city of Chicago has an Emergency Heating Repair Program that gives income-qualified homeowners grant money to repair or replace their furnace or boiler heating system. 

As a Senior Citizen

There are many programs dedicated to serving low-income elderly people with home maintenance, repairs, and moving. This includes Housing Opportunities & Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E)’s Upkeep & Repair program. the city of Chicago’s Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors program.

As a Single-Family Residence

Income-eligible single-family homes can apply for a loan or a grant via the Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants program to do repairs on or modernize their homes. 

And I Want It Tested

If you’re concerned about your water quality (because you’re experiencing brown water, weird smell, suspicious taste, etc), you can get a kit for free to test your water tested by contacting the Chicago Department of Water Management.

And I Don’t Want to Use It

If you don’t currently feel safe using your water, you can contact the Chicago Department of Water Management to see if you are eligible for a filter. Additionally, PCR will deliver bottled water to residents with water quality concerns on the South Side.

Replacing a service line requires digging down to the water main in the street and installing a new copper service line from the main all the way into the house. 

Weatherization is also known as weatherproofing your home or residence in a way that maximizes energy efficiency and reduces your energy consumption (which, in turn, will lower your utility bills).

Any income-eligible households may use Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program (IHWAP) to fund weatherization services, including insulation work, HVAC upgrades, and ventilation measures. See more information at 

Loans without income-eligibility requirements are also available for energy efficiency needs through the Illinois Energy Loan Program.

The Chicago Bungalow Association, with ComEd and People’s Gas, offers customers free home-energy upgrades by installing more efficient ventilation and different methods of insulation, among other things. The program is income-eligible and serves homes built at least 50 years ago.

In coordination with ComEd and Peoples Gas, the Income-Eligible Multifamily Savings program gives multi-family property owners free products and incentives for energy efficiency improvements at their properties.

The Public Housing Energy Savings program offers free products and incentives for energy efficiency improvements in public housing.

ComEd will conduct free Home Energy Assessments that evaluate home energy usage and give free or discounted energy efficiency resources and products, such as LEDs and smart thermostats. 

People’s Gas also has free installation of energy efficiency products for all customers through the Home Energy Jumpstart Program.

ComEd offers credits on customers’ energy bills when they enroll in Peak-Time Savings program and reduce their energy usage during peak usage times. See more information and enroll.

There are many other tricks to reduce your energy usage!

If you are having trouble with your rent due to the pandemic, you may be eligible for aid through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

If you are in danger of becoming homeless due to hardship or other emergencies, you may be eligible for rental assistance through Chicago’s Rental Assistance Program.

See the Citizens Utility Board’s renter’s checklist for your rights and responsibilities as a tenant.

As a tenant, you have rights and protections against wrongdoing by your landlord, as codified by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. You also have rights in regards to your utilities, even as a renter. To learn more, you can request ​“A Renter’s Utility Guide” from the Citizens Utility Board.