Eligible Mainers Could Get Up to 80% Off Monthly Electric Bills

Thousands of low-income Mainers could soon see significant discounts on their monthly electric bills, with many households being enrolled automatically.

Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that about $40 million will be distributed through Maine’s Low Income Assistance Program.

According to the Kennebec Journal, depending on income and utility provider, eligible customers could see substantial savings. Central Maine Power customers may qualify for discounts ranging from 25% to 81%, while Versant customers could receive between 17% and 83% off their monthly electric charges.

To qualify, a household must have an income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.

About 44,000 Maine ratepayers participated in the program last year, but state officials say roughly 23,000 more were eligible.

To close that gap, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services will now use information from programs including SNAP, MaineCare and the Home Energy Assistance Program to automatically identify eligible households and connect them with the discount.

Mainers who are not already enrolled in one of those programs can still apply separately.

The program is also changing how discounts are delivered. Instead of receiving a lump-sum credit, qualifying customers will now see discounts applied monthly, the KJ reported.

Funding for the program has increased from $22.5 million in 2025 to about $40 million this year.

Eligible households are expected to begin seeing the discounts on or around their November electric bills, though exact timing may vary depending on individual billing cycles.