Residential Customers

PSEG Long Island operates and maintains the Long Island Power Authority’s electric system and administers policies and procedures on its behalf. As a residential customer of an electric utility, you have certain rights assured under the Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA). This is an overview of those rights, policies, and procedures. For more information on your rights as a residential customer, please see the Long Island Power Authority’s Tariff for Electric Service, where you will also find current rate information.

Our representatives are available to assist you from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday at 1-800-490-0025. If you have an electric emergency, please call us at any time of the day or night at 1-800-490-0075. Hearing or speech-impaired customers can use our special TDD communication system at 711. To contact us by mail, write to:

PSEG Long Island
PO Box 9083, Melville, NY 11747

Your satisfaction is important to us. If after speaking with a representative, you are not satisfied with our answer, please ask to speak with a supervisor. If you are still not satisfied, you may contact the NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) as follows: Website: www.dps.ny.gov/complaints; Phone: DPS Helpline at 1-800-342-3377 (M-F 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM); or mail: 

Office of Consumer Services
NYS Department of Public Service
3 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12223

Billing and Payment
Our bills show the amount of electricity you use. You’ll receive a bill monthly or every two months depending upon the type of service you have. Our optional Balanced Billing program divides your electric cost into convenient, level monthly payments. Payments are due 23 days after each bill is issued. PSEG Long Island bills can be paid by mail, in person, by phone using our automated payment service, in our mobile app or online. With our free DirectPay program you can have your bills paid automatically from your bank account 20 days after your bill date. A late payment charge of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per monthly billing period will be applied if payment is not received by the “Pay by” date on the bill.

Meter Reading
We read the electric meter because it measures and records the actual amount of electricity you use, which enables us to send you an accurate bill. Making sure your electric bills are accurate and correct is important to PSEG Long Island and to you, which is why we make every attempt to read the meter regularly. If we are unable to gain access to read the meter for three consecutive billing cycles we will put a message on your bill asking for you to provide a reading or to make a special appointment for us to do it. However, if the meter has not been read for eight months, you or your building owner may be subject to a $25 (plus tax) charge on the following bill.

Payment Agreements
If you are having difficulty paying your bill, please contact us by phone or in person in order to make a payment agreement. We can work with you to determine the length of the agreement and the amount of each monthly payment. If you can show financial need, you may not have to make a down payment on monies owed and installment payments may be as low as $10 per month. We will make every effort to help you find a way to pay your bill. Our Consumer Advocates may be able to help you get assistance from other sources. If you heat your home with electric, we will not shut off your service between November 1 and April 15 without first trying to contact you or another adult in your household. If loss of service poses a serious health or safety problem, we will continue service for at least 15 days and try to arrange a payment agreement.

Special Protections
PSEG Long Island will not disconnect service during a health or safety emergency. When we become aware of such an emergency we will work with you to make a satisfactory payment arrangement and notify local social services, if appropriate. You will still be responsible for paying your bill but you will receive special protection in the following cases:

Medical Hardship
If you or a member of your household is faced with a medical emergency, we will continue to provide service for 30 days if you provide a medical certificate from your doctor, local Board of Health, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. This can be renewed if the medical professional explains in writing how a loss of service would aggravate the condition. We will also require financial information that proves an inability to pay your charges. You must make reasonable efforts to pay.

Life-Support Equipment
If you or a member of your household requires electrically operated life-sustaining equipment, we will continue service provided we receive medical certification from a doctor, local Board of Health, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. The medical certificate will remain in effect as long as the life-sustaining equipment is required. Each year we will request that you provide written verification from a medical professional that this equipment is still in use. If you receive public assistance, have a medical hardship or a permanent disability, or are over 62, you may qualify for special protections. Download the Residential Customer Rights guide for the Special Protections request form to complete and return.

If You Are Hospitalized
If you or a member of your immediate family is hospitalized you may receive a 30-day extension. While we are working with you to develop a payment agreement, we will not shut off service and we can refer you to sources of financial assistance. We will conduct additional outreach to customers with special protections regarding major weather events, but we cannot guarantee priority during power restoration efforts. It is each customer’s responsibility to ensure that medical and other special needs are met. Special protections may be available if you and all those living with you are age 62 or over, age 18 or younger, blind or disabled. To ensure that you receive all the protections you are eligible for, please contact a company representative and identify yourself. PSEG Long Island services also include the Friendly Follow-Up program, which can help prevent an electric shut-off by designating a “Caregiver” as an additional contact to receive duplicate copies of past due notices. For more information and to complete and return the form, visit here.

Reconnections
In the event your service has been shut off, we will reconnect it within 24 hours once you have either paid the amount due or made a payment agreement. We will also reconnect service if you face a serious health or safety threat, we receive a notice of payment from a social service agency, or if we determine, within our discretion, that it would be appropriate to do so. There is a charge to turn your service back on during normal business hours and after 5 p.m. If we do not reconnect your service within 24 hours of meeting the above conditions – except when it is beyond our control – we will pay you a fee for each additional day you are without service.

Deposits
We usually don’t ask new residential customers to pay a deposit when opening an account unless you’re a short-term or seasonal customer, or you have an over- due amount on a previous PSEG Long Island account. Existing customers may be asked to pay a deposit if an account is delinquent or disconnected for non-payment during the last six months. Deposits will earn interest at a rate set by the Long Island Power Authority. We will hold the deposit for one year. If your payments are not delinquent during that year, we will refund your deposit plus interest.

Multiple Dwellings
If you are a residential building tenant, you do not have to pay for electric service in any area outside your own dwelling unit. To request a summary of the Shared Meter Law or an investigation of a possible violation, please call us at 1-800-490-0025 or access it here. Following an investigation, we will provide a written report and make any necessary billing changes. If you live in a building with three or more apartments where your landlord fails to pay the electric bill for which he or she is responsible, you may be able to keep the service on if you join with the other tenants to pay the bill. The tenants only have to pay the current bill and you can, by law, deduct your share from your rent.

Shared Meters
If you are a tenant in a residential building, you are not obligated to pay for electric service for any area outside your own dwelling unit. A dwelling unit is considered to be the tenant’s living area, or apartment, as well as any area under the tenant’s exclusive control, or for the tenant’s exclusive use. PSEG Long Island will investigate if you suspect that you are paying for service used by others. A summary of New York State’s Shared Meter Law is available here. For more information, please call us at 1-800-490-0025.

Renters
Get a sense of possible energy expenses before you move into a new rental apartment or house. Get up to 24 months of energy billing history from the date of your request as a prospective renter or their authorized agent. All personal information will be removed to protect the privacy of the building’s prior and current occupants. The report can help you estimate how much your bills will cost at your prospective residence, but it’s important to remember that your actual bills will vary depending on your daily routines and use of appliances and electronic devices. Contact our Customer Service reps to request past energy bills.

If you have any questions concerning your customer rights, please call us toll-free at 1-800-490-0025.

Commercial Customers

A summary of New York State regulations regarding utility service to non-residential customers can be found in our Commercial Customer Rights pamphlet.