El Paso Utility Bill Help 2026–27: El Paso Electric's Low-Income Rider, Bright Hearts and AguaCares Water Credits
El Paso summers push electric bills up, and a missed water payment can lead to a disconnection notice faster than many people expect. The good news is that both of the city's main utilities, El Paso Electric (EPE) and El Paso Water (EPWater), have their own help programs, and local agencies such as Project BRAVO and El Paso County General Assistance can add more.
This guide covers what each program offers, who qualifies and exactly how to apply.
Last checked October 2026. Sources: El Paso Electric's Assistance Programs, Texas Agencies and Low Income Rider, Bright Hearts Fund and Payment Arrangements pages; El Paso Water's AguaCares Program and Payment Assistance pages; and Project BRAVO's website.
The Short Version
| Program | Utility | What it does | |---|---|---| | Low-Income Rider (LIR) | El Paso Electric | Waives the $13.71 monthly customer charge, about $164.52 a year | | Bright Hearts Fund | El Paso Electric | Donation-funded help for customers past due and at risk of disconnection | | Payment arrangement or extension | El Paso Electric | Spreads a past-due balance over time, or extends a due date by up to 14 days | | AguaCares | El Paso Water | A credit of up to $250 for customers at risk of disconnection | | AguaRepairs | El Paso Water | Leak repairs for homeowners, run by Rebuilding Together El Paso | | Project BRAVO | Electric and gas | Utility assistance from El Paso's community action agency |
El Paso Electric
The Low-Income Rider: $164.52 a year off your bill
EPE's Low-Income Rider, approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, removes the $13.71 customer charge from your monthly electric bill. EPE says that adds up to $164.52 a year in savings.
Who qualifies: Texas residential customers who either:
Have a Lone Star Card (SNAP), or
Have a total annual household income at or below 125% of the federal poverty level.
How to sign up with a Lone Star Card:
Get a copy of your Food Stamp Notice of Eligibility form.
Write your name and electric account number exactly as they appear on your most recent EPE bill.
Mail it to: El Paso Electric, Attn: Customer Services, LIR, Loc. 143, P.O. Box 982, El Paso, Texas 79960.
The name on your electric account must match the name on the eligibility form. If the account is in someone else's name, ask EPE about putting it in yours first.
How to sign up based on income: Visit one of the Texas agencies listed by EPE (below) and have a representative qualify you. Bring your account number and your name as they appear on your bill. EPE says the agencies send it a list of qualified customers once a month, so the credit may not show up right away.
Renewing: The charge is waived for the period you prove eligibility. You can renew by providing new verification, so watch your SNAP renewal date.
Bright Hearts Fund: help when you're facing disconnection
The Bright Hearts Fund is a partnership between El Paso Electric and the El Paso Community Foundation. It uses donations to help customers who are overdue on their electric bill and at risk of disconnection, across EPE's entire service region. EPE matches every donation dollar for dollar.
To ask about it, contact EPE's Customer Care Team:
Phone: (800) 351-1621
Email: CustomerCare@epelectric.com
Online chat at epelectric.com
Payment arrangements and extensions
If you can't pay the full past-due amount at once, EPE offers two options:
Payment arrangement: your past-due balance is split into monthly installments. You must pay each installment plus your full current bill by the due date every month.
Payment plan extension: pushes a bill's due date back by up to 14 days. The full amount is due by the new date.
You can't have both at the same time. EPE says you may not qualify if:
You had an earlier arrangement or extension that you didn't keep
Your account had returned payments or was disconnected for non-payment
Your account was sent to an outside debt collector
Your account is under a bankruptcy filing
The meter was tampered with
That first rule matters: only agree to an installment you can actually pay, because breaking one can shut you out of future arrangements.
Texas agencies EPE lists for bill help
El Paso County General Assistance Agency: 6314 Delta, El Paso, TX 79905, (915) 546-8150
Project BRAVO (El Paso County customers only): 2000 Texas Avenue, El Paso, TX 79901
El Paso Business Strong: for business customers
El Paso Water
AguaCares: up to $250 toward an overdue water bill
AguaCares is El Paso Water's customer assistance program, created with the City of El Paso. Each approved customer can get a credit of up to $250, once every 12 months.
Who qualifies. You must meet all of these:
An active EPWater account for single-family residential service
You live at the property
Only one application per household
The account shows a risk of disconnection, with prior disconnections on record
You are already on a payment arrangement, or agree to enter one for any balance
EPWater says a history of good-faith partial payments will also be considered and can strengthen your application.
Important limits:
Funding is set each month and applications are reviewed first come, first served. When the month's money runs out, EPWater posts a notice on the AguaCares page. When we checked in October 2026, the page said September funds were exhausted and the next period opens October 1, 2026.
If your application isn't processed in the month you sent it, it does not carry over. Resubmit with the current date.
AguaCares will not restore service that has already been shut off. If you've been disconnected, call Customer Service.
After the credit, you still need a payment arrangement for the remaining balance to avoid disconnection.
It can take several weeks to hear back. If you haven't heard anything after a month, email EPWater.
County residents: AguaCares only helps EPWater's direct retail customers, mostly inside city limits. If your water comes from the County, Lower Valley Water District or another provider, contact El Paso County Community Services instead.
Already got help from a nonprofit? You can still apply. AguaCares is separate.
How to apply: Submit the application on epwater.org or by email to the AguaCares address listed on the program page. Questions: 915-594-5500. EPWater says it can give limited help over the phone, and it will help applicants with disabilities.
AguaRepairs: fixing leaks that drive up your bill
If a leak is behind a high bill, AguaRepairs makes plumbing repairs in homes owned by EPWater customers. It is run by Rebuilding Together El Paso: call 915-832-7010 to check eligibility.
Other help EPWater points to
Amistad: utility bill help for veterans (subject to grant funding)
City Environmental Services: a senior or disabled discount on garbage and recycling charges
Project BRAVO: help with electric and gas bills
El Paso County: General Assistance for rent and utilities (subject to funding)
Salvation Army of El Paso: rent, mortgage or utility help, depending on need and funding
United Way of El Paso is also named as a nonprofit that may help
Project BRAVO
Project BRAVO is El Paso's community action agency and offers utility assistance for electric and gas bills. Its website says its application window for all services opened July 1, and that it is not accepting applications online, so plan to apply in person. Locations listed include:
2000 Texas Ave., El Paso, TX 79901
4838 Montana, El Paso, TX 79903
14901 Whitetail Deer Dr., El Paso, TX 79938
8908 Old County Rd., El Paso, TX 79907
Project BRAVO says it can take 4 to 6 weeks from a complete application to receive help. If you already have a disconnection notice, make arrangements with the utility in the meantime.
A Simple Plan If You're Behind
Sign up for the Low-Income Rider if you have a Lone Star Card. It's free money every month.
Call EPE at (800) 351-1621 about Bright Hearts and a payment arrangement before your shutoff date.
Apply for AguaCares early in the month, since funding runs out.
Visit Project BRAVO or El Paso County General Assistance for bigger balances.
Keep every confirmation number and letter.
Closing Thoughts
El Paso's utility help is spread across several programs, but together they can make a real difference: about $165 a year off your electric bill through the Low-Income Rider, up to $250 off a water bill through AguaCares, and crisis help through Bright Hearts and Project BRAVO. Act before a shutoff, because most programs help only while you're still connected.
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