Ohio Summer Crisis Program Starts July 1

June 23, 2017 – The Ohio Development Services Agency and local Community Action Agencies will help income-eligible Ohioans stay cool during the hot summer months. The Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program provides income-eligible customers with electric bill assistance or assistance paying for central air conditioning repairs. The crisis program runs from July 1 through August 31.

HHS releases FY 2017 Funds

June 16, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Community Services released over $378 million in the second and final round of FY 2017 funding available for LIHEAP.

These funds have been appropriated by Congress under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31), which the President signed into law on May 5, 2017. This law provided the final budget for LIHEAP in FY 2017.

DHHS Helps Low-Income Nebraskans Cool Down with Fans

June 9, 2017 – Two Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS) programs are helping low-income customers with cooling assistance by providing fans and bill-pay assistance throughout the summer. Thirty-two organizations in 24 Nebraska counties work with DHHS to distribute fans to needy citizens to help them cope with the summer’s heat.

Organizations distributed more than 5,600 fans last year across the state. The organizations that distribute the fans determine the eligibility of the recipients. Fans are purchased with LIHEAP funds.

Program Offers Low-Income Nevadans Energy Efficiency for Free

June 2, 2017 – The HELP program, part of Southern Nevada’s weatherization program, helps low-income households become energy efficient for free. The program has assisted about 12,000 homes in its 22 years of operation, said Jim Hutchinson, the program’s outreach coordinator.

On-Bill Financing Allows You to “Pay As You Save”

May 26, 2017 – This 90-second video, produced by Appalachian Voices and Resource Main, shows how a utility company can help customers weatherize their homes, save money, and help cut back on energy consumption. The video was produced to introduce more consumers and electric utilities to “on-bill financing.”

Washington PUD Seeing Fewer than Expected Sign up for Low-Income Assistance

May 19, 2017 – The Public Utilities Division (PUD) in Jefferson County is seeing fewer people than expected enrolling in its low-income assistance program.

PUD Manager Jim Parker said that 509 households had enrolled in the program as of Friday. That’s out of an estimated 2,000 households that are eligible in Jefferson County, according to a study done by the PUD’s citizen advisory board.
“We expected more,” Parker said. “The weather is getting nicer so people aren’t thinking about it as much. I expected 700 by now.”

New York Workshops Offer Low-Income Assistance Opportunities

May 12, 2017 – Workshops will be held by SUEZ Water New York on May 15 and June 22 to discuss the company’s proposed programs to provide financial assistance for qualified customers in Rockland County, New York.

The New York Public Service Commission directed SUEZ Water New York to study the feasibility of developing programs to assist low-income customers after a rate case settlement earlier this year. These two workshops are part of that process.

New York HEAP Funding Will Provide Cooling Assistance to Vulnerable Households

May 5, 2017 – New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that $3 million dollars will be available through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) to provide cooling assistance to vulnerable New Yorker households.

Governor Cuomo says the summer heat can become an issue of life or death for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and that this funding will help to ensure those vulnerable populations will remain safe and cool during the height of this season.

Colorado LIHEAP Ends April 30

April 28, 2017 – Low-income Coloradans that are struggling to pay their home energy bills can apply to the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) through this weekend, but after that they can seek help from the nonprofit Energy Outreach Colorado.

Wisconsin Winter Moratorium Ends in April

April 21, 2017 – Wisconsin utility companies are warning thousands of customers who are behind on their utility bills to make arrangements with their energy providers, because the statewide moratorium on disconnection ended this month. Utilities will now be able to disconnect customers behind on their bills. Xcel Energy spokesperson Liz Wolf Green said about 4,500 customers of the 260,000 in the utility’s Wisconsin service area are more than 30 days past due on their utility bills. She says these numbers are consistent with the number of delinquent accounts the utility had last year.

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