Help Paying Your Met-Ed Electric Bill From Dollar Energy Fund
Dollar Energy Fund gives one-time grants that are applied directly to the electric bill of customers of Met-Ed and the other FirstEnergy companies in Pennsylvania, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power. Funding is first come, first serve, and the guidelines and eligibility rules can change.
Right now the program is open only for customers whose service is already off. Your total gross household income must be at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, which is $3,325 a month for one person, $4,508 for two, $5,692 for three, $6,875 for four, $8,058 for five, $9,242 for six, $10,425 for seven and $11,608 for eight, adding $1,183 a month for each additional person. Count before-tax income for everyone in the home, including minors; a minor's child support, Social Security and DPA cash assistance count, but not a minor's wages. The account has to be residential, a single home or an apartment, with no cooking-only, commercial or industrial service and no apartments with shared utility service, and the name on the account must be an adult who lives in the home.
You also have to show a sincere effort of payment: at least $150 paid on the account in the past three months, or at least $100 for people age 62 and over. Exceptions may be made in cases of extreme hardship. You need an outstanding balance of at least $100, though people age 62 and over may have a $0 balance as long as there is no existing credit on the account. If LIHEAP and CRISIS are open and you are eligible, you must apply for those first. If your household income is 150% or below the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, you must ask FirstEnergy about its PCAP program before applying for a grant; PCAP customers may still be eligible for a grant, pending utility company review.
The most a grant can be is $600, and you can get only one grant per utility per program year, which runs 10/1/2025 to 9/30/2026. Amounts are decided case by case based on need. If your service is off or facing termination and the most the program can give will not restore service or stop the shutoff, the application is denied and you will be told that an additional payment is needed before you can be considered. The grant cannot cover a security deposit, but it can pay reconnection fees.
Start by calling your utility company, which can tell you about other programs for low-income customers. Dollar Energy Fund also works with Community Based Organizations across the state that take applications, and you can find one near you with the Agency Finder on the Dollar Energy Fund website. Eligible FirstEnergy customers may be able to complete parts of the application through the MyApp online portal.
Every application must include verification of income, or proof of a LIHEAP or Crisis application when those programs are open, plus a copy of the most recent utility bill with proof of the minimum payment. Proof of income documents can be sent through the MyDocs portal, and you can check on your application at any time with MyStatus if you have your utility account number.
For questions, the utility assistance line is 1-888-282-6816 and the administrative number is (412) 431-2800. The mailing address is Dollar Energy Fund, Inc., P.O. Box 42329, Pittsburgh, PA 15203-0329. The page does not give hours for these numbers. Dollar Energy Fund will never ask you to pay over the phone or to give your credit card, bank account or bank routing number in order to get help; if a call asks for that information, hang up immediately.
Source: dollarenergy.org/program/firstenergy-pennsylvania-hardshi…, read September 18, 2026.
The details
| Household size | Monthly income limit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $3,325 |
| 2 | $4,508 |
| 3 | $5,692 |
| 4 | $6,875 |
| 5 | $8,058 |
| 6 | $9,242 |
| 7 | $10,425 |
| 8 | $11,608 |
Read the rest
Find an agency in your area with Dollar Energy Fund’s Agency Finder . Eligible FirstEnergy customers may be able to complete portions of their application through our online MyApp portal .
- A copy of the most recent utility bill with proof of minimum payment must be attached to all applications.
In Dollar Energy Fund’s words
Dollar Energy Fund’s Pennsylvania Hardship Program provides one-time assistance grants to FirstEnergy customers that are applied directly to their utility bill. Funding is available on a first come, first serve basis and eligibility requirements vary based on the utility company. Program guidelines and eligibility requirements are subject to change.
Organization
Dollar Energy Fund
About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from dollarenergy.org/program/firstenergy-pennsylvania-hardshi…. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.