How to pay Orange County’s rising energy bills this summer

The heatwaves this spring gave residents of Orange County early reminders of how intense, and expensive, summer heat can be.

Budgets will be under even more pressure this year as utility rates soar across the country.

In fact, electricity prices rose about 40 percent faster than overall consumer inflation in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How can Orange County households keep up?

One answer for both homeowners and renters is to take advantage of different utility and government programs that put cash back into their pockets.

Smart Usage Rewards

For example, utility demand response programs, such as Orange and Rockland Utilities’ Smart Usage Rewards Program, pay customers who voluntarily reduce electricity usage during peak periods on heat advisory days.

Last summer, the top O&R customers who enrolled through Meltek, a demand response and energy rewards platform serving Orange and Rockland counties, earned $50-$65 by taking simple steps to save energy in designated events including:

Increase the temperature setting on air conditioner thermostats by a couple degrees;

Pre-cool rooms, then use fans to help circulate air; and

Use dishwashers and laundry machines during the morning or nighttime hours.

The highest earning O&R customer last year earned $93.97. The more you reduce your electricity use during event hours, the more you can earn.

The program is free to join and needs no special equipment.

Reducing demand

Reducing peak demand also helps:

Lessen the need for capital investment in new power plants which helps keep customer bills low;

Decrease reliance on dirty and aging peaker plants that release harmful emissions into communities; and

Help support the grid and ensure all neighbors have safe, reliable power when they need it most.

State programs: EmPower+

In addition, New York State offers a number of funding programs that help offset the rising costs of household energy, including:

New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA)’s EmPower+ Program helps low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters by providing money toward energy improvements to their primary residence.

EmPower+ includes home energy assessments and energy efficiency projects such as air sealing, insulation and electrical service and wiring upgrades installed by participating program contractors. Low-income, single-family households are eligible for free energy-efficiency upgrades capped at $12,000 per project upstate and $14,000 downstate.

Moderate-income, single-family households are eligible for incentives covering 50 percent of energy-efficiency upgrade costs, up to $6,000 per project upstate and $7,000 downstate.

Comfort Home

The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) Comfort Home program helps fund renovations that weatherize a home. Incentives from $1,600 to $4,000 may be available for installation of seal and insulate packages.

Essential Plan Cooling

New York State of Health’s Essential Plan Cooling Program provides no-cost air conditioners to consumers with health conditions that are made worse by extreme heat. To qualify, you must be enrolled in New York State of Health’s Essential Plan, which provides low-cost public health insurance for eligible residents who don’t qualify for Medicaid but cannot easily afford private coverage.

Enroll

One helpful note: enroll only through utility-approved partners and verify programs through utility or state websites.

The best time to explore these assistance options is now. Many summer energy programs operate on limited funding or seasonal enrollment windows.

You can’t stop the increases in your local electric bills this year. But you can start to pay for them by tapping some helpful resources. Learn more from Orange and Rockland Utilities. or Meltek.

Frank Bruckner is the co-funder and CEO of Meltek, a demand response and energy rewards platform serving Orange and Rockland counties and the New York City metro area.