Don't Overlook Utility Bill Payment Aid Programs

The federal government also sponsors the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps income-qualified individuals pay heat and electric bills.

The difficulty for consumers is that the funds are distributed through local community organizations and government agencies that are not always easy to find.

However, utilities themselves are generally familiar with all of the options affecting their customers. Most provide information on their Websites and through consumer help lines.

But you have to be proactive and call them to get the assistance. Spatt says one of the frustrations of consumer advocates working in this area is that utility companies don't automatically offer help to people receiving disconnection notices.

Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas sponsor a litany of programs for their customers. Similar programs are offered statewide and nationwide, though the names and income limits can vary. They are:

-- California Alternate Rate for Energy, or CARE, provides discounts of 20 percent or more for income-qualifying customers on both gas and electric bills. The income limits for programs like CARE typically are tied to the federal poverty guidelines or to average incomes in your area. In this case, a single ratepayer would qualify if he or she earns up to $30,500 annually; a family of four would qualify with up to $43,200 in income.

-- The Family Electric Rate Assistance, or FERA, program provides even greater discounts to large families that use substantial amounts of electricity. Your income must fall below 250 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Notably, 23,271 Edison customers are on the program, but the utility estimates that as many as 230,000 qualify.

-- The Energy Assistance Fund helps pay past-due bills for customers. Although EAF is California-specific, there are similar programs in every state, experts said. Moreover, some of them are far more generous than the California plan, which provides grants of just $100 a year to pay electric and gas bills.

Edison and Southern California Gas also offer payment plans that can spread out the pain of high-cost months. They also offer conservation programs to upper- and middle-income consumers.

Those include sending an energy "auditor" to your home, with lots of free goodies, including fluorescent light bulbs and water-saving valves for your faucets and shower. These visits can often result in considerable monthly savings.

In addition, there are "medical baseline" programs for people who have energy-intensive medical equipment, and a variety of programs operated by individual utilities.

"The important thing is for people to understand that there is help available," Lippe said. "There are an awful lot of disconnections going on. We find that very disturbing."