Starting next week, checks will start arriving in the mail for 8 million New Yorkers. Gov. Kathy Hochul says the money will help people cover the cost of rising utility bills. The governor stopped in Rochester Monday, where she discussed the reasoning behind the checks, which are coming out just months before the election.

The energy rebate checks total up to $200. They’re part of a $1 billion budget bill passed by state lawmakers last session, designed to help people with rising utility costs.

“People are just so sick and tired of seeing the bills go up and up and up,” said Hochul during an event held at the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester. “And I just want to say this, you know, I don’t need this talk for a long time. Relief is on the way.”

The governor says the energy rebate checks will be mailed to eligible New Yorkers starting on Sept. 21.

Here’s the breakdown:

Joint filers with incomes under $150,000 will receive a $200 check
Joint filers with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000 will receive a $150 check
Single filers with incomes under $150,000 will receive a $100 check

The checks come as the National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts an 8.7% jump in home heating costs this winter.  

“The bills are really high,” said Hochul. “They’re really high. Whether it’s the air conditioning in the summer and mostly in the wintertime.”

Data from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) shows home heating oil prices are already moving upward. One year ago, the statewide average was $3.70 a gallon. Last week, it was $5.74 — a 64% increase. And according to the fiscally conservative Empire Center for Public Policy, New York’s electricity prices are fifth highest in the nation, with a growth rate double the national average. Director Zilvinas Silenas blames the Hochul administration’s policy, including New York’s move away from natural gas toward electricity.

“I think it’s a bad idea for many reasons,” said Silenas. “Environmental reasons, logistics reasons. But most importantly these days it’s about price reasons.”

The governor says $200 might not cover all of a household’s rising cost of living — but it will help.

“That’s what we’re just trying to do, let people know that we hear their concerns, we’re trying to do what we can,” said Hochul. “When you’re trying to fill up a gas tank or buy some groceries, this might help. You have something left over at the end of the month. Every dollar counts. And I know that.” 

“Ultimately it doesn’t solve anything,” said Silenas. “It doesn’t even cover the increase for a year. And my question is, well, what about next year?  What about the year after next? Are we going to be doing these rebates? So that’s definitely ultimately a doomed policy, which of course has nothing to do with the upcoming election.” 

When asked about the timing of the checks, with the election less than two months away, the governor said the checks would have been issued earlier if the state budget had been on time.

“So because the budget went a couple months into overtime, it took a little more time than we expected to be approved, but I’m proud of it,” she said.

There is no sign-up for eligible New Yorkers to receive the rebate checks.  They’re being mailed to anyone who filed a state income tax return, was a full-time resident of the state, and was not claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return. The checks are being mailed out starting Monday, Sept. 21.