With winter coming, millions in aid available to help heat homes
If you’re bracing for a cold winter — and bracing for the heating bills that come with frigid weather — financial help is out there.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides $200-$1,000 to utilities or fuel providers as a credit on a customer’s bill. Run by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the grants are based on household size, income and fuel.
UGI Utilities, which sells natural gas to thousands of Lehigh Valley customers, said last week applications for LIHEAP began Monday. The application process typically opens the first week in November, but additional money from the American Rescue Plan let the LIHEAP program could open earlier.
In a news release, UGI also said federal COVID-19 relief dollars remain available for people who have struggled to pay their utility bills as a result of the pandemic. Residents should contact their county assistance offices for information on programs such as the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Associated Press, citing data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, last week forecasted across-the-board increases in home-heating costs.
It’s another reminder of higher inflation ripping across the country, as a separate federal report last week showed prices were 5.4% higher for consumers in September than the same month a year ago. A reawakening economy and snarled supply chains have pushed up prices for everything from cars to groceries.
For more information about
LIHEAP or ERAP, contact your county public assistance office, call 866-857-7095 weekdays, or go to dhs.pa.gov.
Besides government-funded help, here is how you can reach area utilities to find out more about their payment-assistance programs:
PPL Electric: 800-358-6623; pplelectric.com
Met-Ed: 800-962-4848; firstenergycorp.com/met_edison.html UGI: 800-276-2722; ugi.com
Utilities regularly urge customers to seek help with bills.
“UGI realizes the ongoing pandemic has created continued hardships for some families,” Daniel Adamo, UGI vice president of customer relations, said in the release. “We encourage any customer who is having difficulty paying their energy bill to contact us and discuss their individual circumstances.”