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From Notice:

[ *** ] To facilitate the continued evaluation of the Companies’ energy affordability and arrearage management offerings, the Authority requests that Participants file written comments on or before 12:00 P.M. on Friday, August 29, 2025, addressing the following: 

1. Provide comments on the Companies’ Plan, filed as Motion No. 14 and updated in Motion Nos. 18 and 26 in this proceeding, including but not limited to, discussion of the following:

1. Any concerns that financial hardship customers avoid making up missed payments under the Matching Payment Program (MPP) by paying the flexible payment arrangement’s (FPA) minimum down payment of 5% or $25, whichever is lower. Further, how increasing the FPA minimum down payment for financial hardship customers to 20% of their arrearage might address this concern, and/or what other impacts this may cause. 
2. Eversource’s modified MPP re-enrollment proposal that prohibits MPP re-enrollment within 12 months of successfully completing MPP (Motion No. 18, Joint Att. 2, p. 6). 
3. The Companies’ proposal in Joint Att. 1 of the Plan to annually auto enroll all eligible MPP customers in November of each year, and subsequent proposals to auto-enroll on January 31 annually (Eversource Interrog. Resp. OCC-7) or to auto-enroll on November 1 and April 1 annually (Avangrid Interrog. Resp. OCC-7). Alternatively, discuss whether the Companies should auto-enroll eligible customers on a rolling basis, i.e., as customers are identified as eligible.

2. Regarding Department of Social Service (DSS) opt-out data matching and identified “address mismatches,” provide example scenarios for why an otherwise financial hardship-eligible customer might have an address mismatch between DSS’ and the Companies’ files, and how such scenarios could be solved to enroll such eligible customers. Specifically, describe any IT efforts, communications, and/or Authority directives that may be necessary. 
3. Refer to Nonprofit Accountability Group (NAG) Comments, July 23, 2025 (NAG Comments), pp. 4-5. Provide comments on NAG’s proposal that the Companies provide incentives to customers to encourage ongoing, on-time payments from financial hardship customers and customers with arrears. 
4. The Companies’ proposal, filed as Motion No. 21 in this proceeding, to remove the requirement to discuss clean energy programs during live energy affordability calls. 
5. The Companies’ proposal, filed as Motion No. 23 in this proceeding, to modify the Companies’ requirement to receive and process income verification, including but not limited to, discussion of the following:

1. The resulting impact on CAAs and potentially Operation Fuel d/b/a Generation Power CT; 
2. The benefits and potential dangers of the Companies receiving and processing household income verification for financial hardship designation; and 
3. The customer impact of modifying this practice (e.g., a customer that needs household income verification can only receive it through a CAA). 

6. Any additional topics and/or recommendations regarding the Companies’ Plan or other filings. [ *** ]

Notice (08/08/2025)
25-05-01 (10/29/2024)
(Annual Review Of Affordability Programs And Offerings (Energy Affordability Annual Review))