Puget Sound Energy last month filed a request with the Utilities and Transportation Commission to approve an increase to electric and natural gas rates to adjust for the costs of the utility’s low-income assistance program, effective October 1.

The adjustment reflects the differences between the costs and the revenues collected over the past year to fund PSE’s Home Energy Lifeline Program, or HELP and a small increase in total funding. The request for the adjustment, filed on August 31, would increase electric rates by an overall average of 0.004 percent, or 4/1000th of 1 percent, and natural gas rates by 0.03 percent, or 3/100th of 1 percent.

If approved by the UTC, a typical monthly electricity bill (based on 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity) would increase by 4 cents per month, bringing the total monthly average electric bill to $99.68. A typical household natural gas bill (based on 68 therms of natural gas) would increase by 3 cents per month, bringing the total monthly average bill to $81.35.

Established in 2002, PSE’s HELP fund, administered by 12 community action agencies serving residents in PSE’s 11-county Washington state service area, provides bill-payment assistance to more than 25,000 individuals and families each year.

From October 2009 through July 2010, more than 59,000 qualified low-income PSE customers throughout the utility’s area received grants totaling nearly $25 million—$13.5 million in LIHEAP and $11.3 million in HELP.

The UTC is expected to review PSE’s proposed rate change on Sept. 30.