Governor Hochul Announces 3 Million Energy Rebate Checks Have Been Delivered, With Another 5.2 Million Checks to Be Sent in Coming Weeks

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 3 million New Yorkers have already received their energy rebate checks of up to $200, with another 5.2 million checks being sent in coming weeks.

"As Trump and Washington Republicans keep driving up the cost of gas and utilities, I'm focused on helping New Yorkers keep more money in their pockets," Governor Hochul said. "Our energy rebate checks are just one of many ways we're helping families address rising costs - along with our ratepayer protection plan, enrolling more New Yorkers in utility bill discount programs, expanding access to affordable childcare, expanding the child tax credit, delivering middle class tax cuts, and more."

Governor Hochul's Enacted Budget included a one-time $1 billion Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) to help provide needed relief in the face of federal tariffs that have increased the cost of living across the board and President Trump's war in Iran, which has caused the price at the pump to skyrocket.

POWER checks provide $200 to joint filers with incomes under $150,000 and $150 to joint filers with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000. Single filers with incomes under $150,000 will receive $100. The checks began being mailed on September 21 and will continue through December. A total of 8.2 million New Yorkers will receive checks.

There is no need to apply, sign up or do anything to receive a check. The State Tax Department is mailing checks to eligible New Yorkers now. For more information, visit the Department of Tax and Finance website.

Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said, "Across the country, we have witnessed a surge in everyday expenses, from healthcare to groceries; the impact has been exponential and has touched so many households. Energy has been no different. Here in New York, ratepayers bear some of the highest utility rates in the nation, placing financial strain on families. This reality is why the Assembly Majority fought to make a one-time $1 billion Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) a reality. Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul for her steadfast leadership and dedication to the people of our great state. New Yorkers need relief, deserve it and will get it with the issuance of POWER checks."

Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, "Too many New Yorkers across the state continue to struggle with rising utility costs. We pushed to include energy cost-saving measures in this year's State Budget - including returning excess revenues to ratepayers and establishing the RATES Commission to combat rising utility costs - in addition to providing short-term relief through the POWER rebate checks. I thank the Governor for sending out these rebate checks and pushing for increased enrollment in Energy Affordability Programs as we work together to rein in out-of-control energy costs."

Governor Hochul's Energy Affordability Agenda

Governor Hochul also recently launched a new enrollment push to help more households across New York save up to hundreds of dollars per year on their utility bills through the State's Energy Affordability Program (EAP). Since that enrollment push launched in mid-September, 50,000 additional households have submitted applications to their utilities. EAP already provides monthly discounts to around 1 million households statewide, and State officials estimate that since the Governor expanded the program earlier this year, around 2.5 million more households are eligible but not enrolled. For more information on EAP and how to apply, visit the Department of Public Service website.

Additionally, Governor Hochul's FY27 Enacted Budget rewrote the rules and put New York families ahead of big energy companies. At the heart of this effort to modernize the State's approach to regulating utilities is a commitment to energy affordability. Energy profits are tied to a company's ability to perform where it matters most: people's wallets. Utilities are prohibited from passing the costs of lobbying, glossy PR campaigns, political donations, and luxury travel to New York ratepayers. Utility CEOs will have their salaries benchmarked to achieving energy affordability goals set by the Public Service Commission (PSC). And if a utility makes excess profit, that money will be returned to ratepayers.

The Governor's Ratepayer Protection Plan:

• Stops disruptive price hikes before they take effect in the first place by demanding unprecedented fiscal discipline and transparency from utility companies. When requesting a rate increase, utilities will have to prove that their capital projects are absolutely necessary and that they've left no stone unturned in the pursuit of zero-emission options. They'll also have to present a budget-constrained option that keeps their operating costs below the rate of inflation.
• Ensures a fair fight by requiring 14 months to examine rate requests by utility companies and the PSC will be able to set multi-year rate cases when they make sense for consumers. The State's regulators will also heavily scrutinize the fees that utilities run up during the process of determining new rates. The goal is to ensure customers aren't shouldering any costs associated with utility rate cases that aren't legally required.
• Requires the establishment of a new energy affordability index that will expose the true impact of utility rates on everyday New Yorkers, benchmarking utility performance here against those in the rest of the nation. Going forward, utilities will be required to demonstrate exactly how any proposed rate hike will impact this index - and if a rate case pushes the average household energy burden above 6 percent, the State will be able to deploy an independent Affordability Monitor directly into the utility's boardroom.