Thousands of low-income Mainers are slated to receive automatic discounts on their monthly electric bills.

Gov. Janet Mills announced on Thursday that $40 million in electricity discounts and other services would be distributed among eligible Maine households through the state’s Low Income Assistance Program, and many will be enrolled automatically this year.

Amounts vary by income, but eligible Central Maine Power customers could see discounts anywhere between 25% and 81%, while Versant customers could get between 17% and 83% off monthly, according to the announcement.

To qualify, customers must have a household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. About 44,000 Maine ratepayers participated in the program last year, according to the announcement, but officials determined that roughly another 23,000 were eligible.

To increase participation, many households will now be enrolled automatically.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services will use information from programs like SNAP and MaineCare to determine automatic eligibility, the announcement states. Those participating in the federally funded Home Energy Assistance Program will also be automatically enrolled in the program.

“Beneficiaries will have their information securely shared with participating utilities” to have the discounts applied to their monthly bills, the announcement said. Mainers not already participating in a DHHS program can apply for the Low Income Assistance Program.

The roughly $40 million in funding for the program is a leap from $22.5 million in 2025, with an additional $7.5 million being approved in a recent supplemental budget for this year. However, the program is largely funded by a ratepayer monthly surcharge of about $2, according to the announcement, with further support from New England Clean Energy Connect.

The monthly nature of the discount is also new to the program. Previously, program participants were given lump sums to offset their costs.

The program is part of “SupportLink,” a Mills initiative implemented through DHHS that connects Maine households with discounts and other forms of relief they are eligible for, unless they opt out, the announcement states.

“Maine families are being pushed to the brink by the president’s whipsaw tariffs and his reckless war in Iran,” Mills said of President Donald Trump in a written statement. “At a time when every dollar matters, my administration is making it easier for vulnerable Mainers to lower their electric bills without unnecessary paperwork or bureaucratic hurdles.”

SupportLink currently includes nine electric utilities, as well as Efficiency Maine and the Portland Water District, according to the announcement.

Mills credited the participating utilities as well as Maine’s Public Advocate, Public Utilities Commission, DHHS and MaineHousing for making the automatic process possible.

Leaders of those state entities praised the move in statements that were included in Thursday’s announcement.

Ian Yaffe, director of the Maine DHHS’ Office for Family Independence, said it’s “a meaningful step toward making services easier to access.”

“Families should not have to navigate multiple applications or send paperwork from one agency to another when we can securely share the information needed to connect them with help,” Yaffe stated.

Maine Public Advocate Heather Sanborn said it will “provide meaningful, predictable support” for struggling Mainers, while Dan Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said it will “help take some of the complications and pressures off our most vulnerable households.”

Eligible households can expect the discounts to begin taking effect on or soon after their November bill, according to the announcement, which notes the timing could be off due to electric bills not always following the calendar month.