RILEY ANNOUNCES TOOL TO HELP UPSTATE NEW YORKERS SAVE ON UTILITY BILLS

In one minute or less, new site lets NY-19 residents check eligibility for federal and state programs to lower bills, weatherize homes

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Congressman Josh Riley (NY-19) announced a new online tool to help Upstate New Yorkers lower their utility bills. With utility costs squeezing family budgets, many residents may qualify for assistance they don't even know is available. By answering a few short questions at riley.house.gov/save, residents can easily see which federal and state programs they may qualify for and exactly where to apply.

"Heating bills are too high, and winter is just getting started. There's help out there, but like most things in government, it couldn't be more confusing, and a lot of people who qualify never even apply," said Riley. "So my office built a tool to cut through the red tape. In about a minute, you'll know what you're eligible for and how to get it, so you can keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket where it belongs."

The tool checks eligibility for a range of energy assistance and efficiency programs, including the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Emergency HEAP, EAP, EEAP, EmPower+, HEAP Clean & Tune, and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Together, these programs can help with heating costs, emergency assistance when households face a shutoff or run out of fuel, furnace and heating equipment maintenance, and home energy upgrades that lower bills over the long term.

The tool is open to all residents of New York's 19th Congressional District and comes as the 2026-2027 HEAP season begins. Residents can access the tool at riley.house.gov/save, and constituents who need additional help or have questions about an application can contact Congressman Riley's office at (607) 242-0200.

The new tool is the latest step in Riley's fight to take on the utility monopolies and lower costs for Upstate families. Since taking office, Riley has:

• Joined the NYSEG and Central Hudson rate cases to fight their rate hikes directly, going head-to-head with the companies on behalf of Upstate ratepayers.
• Introduced the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act (H.R. 1355) to help families weatherize their homes, use less energy, and lower their monthly bills.
• Introduced the Keep the Lights Local Act (H.R. 5487) to end foreign ownership of American utilities.
• Introduced the No Bonuses for Utility Executives Act (H.R. 6590) to ban utility executives from cashing in on bonuses while they jack up rates faster than inflation.
• Introduced the No Taxes on Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8350) so families can deduct the taxes and state surcharges tacked onto their gas and electric bills.
• Introduced the Lowering Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8568) to stop utility companies from overcharging customers.
• Introduced the FAIR Data Act (H.R. 9655) to make sure Big Tech's data centers pay their own way instead of sticking Upstate families and small businesses with higher energy bills.
• Introduced the Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 10284) to stop utility companies from selling your personal data collected through smart meters.

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