Latest news with #LowIncomeHomeEnergyAssistanceProgram
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Champaign Co. program helping at-risk homes stay cool during extreme heat
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — A program which aims to help Champaign County households keep the power on in the summer opens to applicants in a week. In a news release sent from the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, officials said the Summer Cooling program was created because of the demand for utility assistance and exhausted funding from post-pandemic programs like Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Sholem Aquatics Center urging for swim safety as pool season begins The Summer Cooling program will support low-income households in the county that are at the greatest risk from extreme heat. It'll help an estimated 200 to 350 households maintain power in their homes. Interested applicants can apply starting June 9. Appointments will be available on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are available at the Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana, at 2009 Round Barn Road in Champaign and at the Rantoul Business Center. To be eligible for the program, officials said: Champaign board to continue proposed solar farm discussion later this summer Applicants must be Champaign County residents The household's most recent 30-day income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level The household must include a senior (age 60 and above) or an individual with a medical certificate documenting a condition that requires active power in the household The household's power service is disconnected or in imminent disconnect status. The Regional Planning Commission said applications for LIHEAP will open Oct. 1 for households with anyone over 60, with a person who has a documented disability, families with children under age 6 and disconnected/disconnect notice household. All other households can apply Nov. 1. Officials encourage those not eligible for the cooling program to contact their utility company and ask about other available programs. The Summer Cooling program is funded by the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The amount of bill assistance per household will not exceed $1,000, according to officials. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cutting federal heating assistance would hurt thousands of Mainers
Jun. 2—Despite summer's approach, many residents of Maine's northernmost county still have their heat on — those who can afford the energy, at least. "It was in the high 30s on June 1. So people are warming their homes now," said Jason Parent, executive director of the Aroostook County Action Program, which provides vulnerable people with utility bill credits and, rarely, direct checks, through the national Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. For decades, the program — also known as LIHEAP — has provided critical financial assistance for households struggling to afford heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. About 45,000 households in Maine, including about 7,500 in Aroostook County, rely on LIHEAP to make it through the winter. But as Congress attempts to draft a fiscal year 2026 budget that aligns with President Donald Trump's agenda, the program's fate is uncertain. Trump has proposed wholly eliminating LIHEAP and a number of other support programs, weeks after his administration slashed federal staff responsible for administering the program. Last month, the House of Representatives passed its budget bill, which appears not to allocate funding for LIHEAP. The bill landed in the Senate this week. "The progression has clearly been in the direction of a seismic shift if not the elimination of the program altogether," Parent said in a phone interview Monday. "The thought of the program not existing at all, quite frankly, literally has me fearing that people will freeze to death in their homes." Dan Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said eliminating LIHEAP would be devastating to already vulnerable residents. The average income of a LIHEAP recipient is about $13,000 per year, he said. "We're talking people, households that make very little money to begin with and are having trouble making ends meet," Brennan said. MaineHousing administers the program within Maine. But Brennan was more optimistic about the program's fate at the federal level, noting its historic bipartisan backing and vocal support from the entire Maine delegation. He added that Trump unsuccessfully suggested eliminating LIHEAP in the 2018 and 2019 budget proposals during his first term. "I would be very surprised if both houses of congress decided not to fund this program. I just don't see that happening," he said. But "I'm anticipating they're not going to increase it very much, if at all." PREVIOUS FUNDING Maine has received about $41.6 million from the federal government for LIHEAP during the 2025 fiscal year — about 1% of the federal program's total cost — according to Sen. Susan Collins' office. About $26 million of that has been allocated for Maine households, more than $22 million of which had been distributed to residents as of Monday, according to data provided by MaineHousing. The latter figure includes about $2.6 million in Emergency Crisis Intervention Program payments, which are reserved for households facing heating emergencies and in need of immediate help. The majority of LIHEAP funds are distributed for use over the entire heating season. The rest of the LIHEAP funding goes to administrative costs and the four tribes that make up the Wabanaki Nations in Maine. Though the program touches all 16 counties, rural portions of northern Maine tend to receive more than their southern counterparts. Penobscot County residents have received just over $3.6 million this year, the most of any county, while those in Aroostook have seen more than $3.1 million, according to MaineHousing. Sagadahoc has so far received the least of any county, charting about $180,000 as of Tuesday. Cumberland and York have so far seen just under $1.4 million and nearly $1.8 million, respectively. Statewide, the average LIHEAP benefit was $509 in 2024, though that figure varies widely depending on income, home size and heating system, MaineHousing spokesperson Scott Thistle said. BUDGET HEADS TO SENATE Reps. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, and Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, voted against the budget bill last month, criticizing its impact on LIHEAP among other complaints. The bill passed the House by just one vote and was supported only by Republicans. It now heads to the Senate, where Republicans hold a razor-thin majority and tweaks are all but certain. Several Republicans have signaled that certain cuts, including to Medicaid and LIHEAP, go too far, or that the bill fails to bring down the national debt. Both of Maine's senators have spoken about the importance of preserving LIHEAP. In testimony before Congress last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued that the Trump administration's overall energy policy would bring the cost of heating down enough to eliminate any need for assistance, rendering the program little more than "another subsidy of the fossil fuel industry," he said. But when pressed by Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, Kennedy said he would commit to spending any LIHEAP funding appropriated by congress for fiscal year 2026. A spokesperson for Collins said that she will continue supporting LIHEAP and will "work to ensure that households in Maine and throughout the country can afford to heat their homes." A spokesperson for Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, referred questions about the program to an April letter King and Collins signed alongside nearly a dozen other senators, urging Kennedy to reverse the staff cuts. "It is an indispensable lifeline, helping to ensure that recipients do not have to choose between paying their energy bills and affording other necessities like food and medicine," the senators wrote. Gov. Janet Mills encouraged Congress to "protect and preserve" the program in a written statement Monday. Brennan, director of MaineHousing, said Collins' role on the Appropriations Committee was a particularly good sign for LIHEAP's fate. "It is just a matter now of watching the House and the Senate and what they decide to fund the program at," Brennan said. "In the meantime, we are moving ahead and preparing as if there will be a program." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NJ power bills are spiking this month. What to know.
Major electricity rate increases are in effect across New Jersey as of June 1 — just in time for what the National Weather Service expects to be a summer hotter than normal. The figure for 'average' residential kilowatt hour usage varies, but generally is around 650 kWh per month. Consumers at those levels could see monthly bill increases of approximately 17-20%. Businesses are similarly affected. These estimated increases vary by which utility serves your region. More: Atlantic City Electric is giving customers another break. What to know. In South Jersey, those are: Jersey Central Power & Light, 20.20%; Atlantic City Electric, 17.23%; and PSE&G, 17.24%. In cash terms that's an additional $22.67 to $28.02 per month for the average customer. The administration of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities have pressed electric providers to come up with ways to lessen the impact. Electric company representatives have said they're paying more to buy the power they sell and aren't making money on these rate increases. Atlantic City Electric spokesman Brian Ahrens said on Friday that the utility has worked hard since the increases became public early this year at putting information in front of customers. This company is the utility provider for most southern counties in the state, including parts of Gloucester County. Ahrens and other utility representatives have echoed state government calls for consumers to seriously consider various conservation strategies and to look for financial assistance options. Company representatives have said they also expect results from more use of 'smart' meters. Other tips include: Conduct home efficiency evaluations. Search for rebates for energy efficient equipment and appliances. Looks for discounts on products such as programmable thermostats. Apply for budget billing to spread out seasonal cost spikes. Sign up for flexible payment plans. Utilities also are using their websites to steer customers to local, state and federal assistance programs. The increase in electricity costs is being put down to two reasons: Demand is higher, and energy production and/or delivery capacity have not kept pace. The growth in artificial intelligence data centers is claimed to be behind much of the demand for more electricity. Data centers are almost entirely in North Jersey. More: Electric bill increases in New Jersey: How much, and when, your bill will spike. Some of the assistance programs are as follows: Low Income Home Energy Assistance — helps low-income residents with heating and cooling bills, and makes provisions for emergency heating system services and emergency fuel assistance within the Home Energy Assistance Program. Call 1-800-510-3102 or visit for more information. Universal Service Fund — provides a monthly credit on natural gas and/or electric bills. USF shares an application with the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Visit or call toll-free at 1-866-240-1347. NJSHARES — provides grants to moderate- and fixed-income households in a temporary financial crisis. Eligibility is based on household size and income. Grants are to be used for energy consumption only — not deposits, reconnection fees or repairs. Grants are to result in continuance and/or restoration of service. Payments go to the utility company. Call 1-866-657-4273 or visit New Jersey Lifeline — assistance for older adults and people with disabilities. This may provide a $225 annual benefit to people who meet the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled eligibility requirements or who receive Supplemental Security Income. This includes utility customers as well as tenants whose utility bills are included in their rent. Call 1-800-792-9745 or visit Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip? Support local journalism with a subscription. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: NJ electric bills are set to increase by 20%
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This program helps 6 million families pay their energy bills. Here's what's at risk if it's cut.
The Trump administration wants to eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a little-known piece of the social safety net that helps low-income people pay their utility bills. Congress created the program in 1981, initially to help people pay for heating in the winter. The program — which has had broad bipartisan support — has increasingly been used to pay for cooling as summers grow hotter and more dangerous to human health due to climate change. At a recent budget hearing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, called the program a 'lifesaver' for residents in Alaska when questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about its future. Kennedy acknowledged the importance of the program but also said Trump's proposal to eliminate the funding was based on the expectation of lower future energy prices. Yet according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, residential energy prices are expected to go up in much of the country at least through 2026. Murkowski and lawmakers from across the aisle have been pressuring the administration to commit to funding the program, which provided $4.1 billion to states, territories and tribal nations in fiscal 2025. But the administration has not only called to defund the program in its entirety, but also has put the staff that administer the program at Health and Human Services (HHS) on leave. Advocates say the end of the program could be disastrous for households who rely on other government benefits that are also under threat, like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, which are both facing deep cuts. As the funding of LIHEAP continues to be debated on the national level, here's an explanation of what the program does and who it helps: LIHEAP helps about 6 million households pay their heating- and cooling-related utility bills annually and prevents disconnections through an emergency assistance fund. The payments typically go directly to the utility companies. States tailor the program to best fit the needs of residents. For example, in places like Arizona, where extreme heat kills hundreds of people a year, a higher allocation of funding goes to cooling assistance. In some states, funds can be used to repair furnaces or air conditioning units. States are required to account for both a household's income and its energy burden, or the percentage of a family's income that goes to pay utility bills, to target those most at risk for utility disconnections. Low-income households typically have higher energy burdens, often due to homes with poor insulation or drafty windows and doors. The LIHEAP program targets households with family members who are particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures. In fiscal 2023, the program reached 2.1 million households where a resident had a disability; nearly 1 million households that had small children; and 2.4 million households that housed an elderly person. Both children and the elderly are more sensitive to extreme temperatures because they are physiologically less able to regulate their body temperature. People with complex medical needs also shoulder higher energy costs, due to electricity-dependent medical equipment. Single parents, who are disproportionately women, are more likely to be energy insecure, as are rural residents, Black, Indigenous and Latinx households. And the people who utilize the program are usually on the brink of an emergency — either already disconnected from their utility or on the verge of it. 'By the time they're reaching out for help, it's that their situation has escalated,' said Diana Hernandez, an associate professor and sociologist at Columbia University who studies energy insecurity. Only about 17 percent of eligible households receive LIHEAP assistance, said Hernandez, who has been pushing to increase funding for the program. 'The money always runs out,' she said. Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, an organization that works with state officials to implement LIHEAP, said electricity costs are going up at a higher rate than inflation and that rising temperatures are also leading to a greater need for cooling. 'In Southwestern states the length of the [heat waves are] getting longer,' Wolfe said. 'The bills are going up, and a lot of housing is just poorly built … so the costs are going up faster than expected,' he said. LIHEAP has multiple benefits that all center on keeping people safe and healthy in their homes, advocates say. While in many states residents have some protection from a utility disconnecting their electricity, without energy assistance programs like LIHEAP more households would likely keep their homes at dangerous temperatures to keep their bills down. In a Census Household Pulse Survey from 2024, nearly 23 percent of households reported keeping their homes at unsafe temperatures over the previous 12 months due to rising energy costs. But doing so is risky in places like Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located. While there is a moratorium on electricity shutoffs during the summer, in 2024, 138 people died indoors of a heat-related cause, with 18 percent of those deaths in a home where the AC was functioning but not turned on. Seventy percent did not have a working AC unit in a place where average summer temperatures are over 100 degrees. These deaths occurred in a state where over 20,000 households received LIHEAP assistance in fiscal 2023, according to the National Energy Utility Affordability Coalition, which tracks state use of funds. Without the program, 'we'll be having more and more of these unnecessary deaths,' Wolfe said. Helping to pay energy bills has also been shown to help keep families more food secure. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 20 percent of U.S. households said they skipped meals and medicines to pay for electricity bills in 2020, a time when households were under additional stress due to the pandemic. And in a 2019 survey of LIHEAP recipients, 36 percent said that before they began to receive energy assistance, they went without food for at least a day to pay utility bills. It's called the 'heat or eat' phenomenon. 'Just because the bill gets paid, people should not assume that that's not at great cost,' said Olivia Wein, senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. But with multiple social welfare programs facing deep cuts, 'it's going to be harder and harder for people to do that, to juggle enough to get the bills paid on time,' she said. Wein points out that people's housing security could also be impacted. Maintaining a utility connection is a condition on many housing leases, and without LIHEAP, more people could face evictions, Wein fears. She's also worried children could be taken from their parents. 'Not having heat in the winter could result in Child Protective Services getting involved because your home is not habitable,' she said. 'So there are all of these ripple effects from unaffordable energy that we will unfortunately see on the grand scale without a strong LIHEAP program.' For fiscal 2025, all of the program's funding has already been released, so residents won't see an impact until fiscal 2026, which starts in September. But even if the program is funded, Wein says there will be issues with disbursement because of the federal layoffs. While each state develops individual programs, they still have to run their plans by the federal agency every year to determine state allocations, Wein said. This plan is also accompanied by a complicated formula that happens each time funding is released. Right now only four people are managing the LIHEAP program on the federal level; after the entire office was laid off in April. Wein predicts this will delay funding being sent to the states. HHS did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Additionally, community action agencies, places around the country where people go to apply for benefits like LIHEAP, could be shut down, due to a separate move to defund the Community Services Block Grant. This would make it harder for residents to apply to the program. 'We need that funding as part of our whole ecosystem,' Wein said. Trump also sought to zero out LIHEAP funding in his first term, but Congress ultimately is in charge of approving a budget. But Wein said the precarity of the program feels different this time around. 'Congress is really looking at cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting. … Things that you would never imagine being cut like entitlement programs are in live discussion right now. So that's the unknown.' Advocates say that there really isn't any other comparable safety net for residents seeking energy assistance if LIHEAP ends up being cut. Though alternatives like charitable giving and religious organizations can help pay for energy costs, it doesn't come close to meeting the needs of 6 million people who were previously reached by the program, Wein said. 'There is no easy fix and there is no comprehensive fix to losing LIHEAP,' she said. 'Every state is going to be devastated with the loss of this funding.' The post This program helps 6 million families pay their energy bills. Here's what's at risk if it's cut. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter.
Business Mayor
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Cruel Summer: AC costs expected to skyrocket to 12-year high across the US
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US The cost of using air conditioning across the nation is expected to hit its highest level in 12 years this summer. It may even reach a record high, according to energy industry experts. Skyrocketing prices come amid increasing demand due to higher temperatures and more oppressive humidity spurred by human-caused climate change. That demand is only projected to surge as Earth's atmosphere continues to heat up, thanks to the continued production of fossil fuels and other sources of polluting greenhouse gas emissions. 'We have found that consumers are going to be hit with the highest level in 12 years, possibly a record high for home cooling this summer, as the average cost of electricity is projected to reach $784, a 6.2 percent increase from $737 last year,' National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate (CEPC) said in a joint statement. 'After adjusting for inflation, the average family will see an increase of 4.2 percent.' The number of cooling degree days, when air conditioners might be necessary, has increased in hundreds of locations over the past 50 years, and heat and energy stress has resulted in days-long power outages with deadly consequences. The highest average costs are anticipated in the Northeast, South Central, and South Atlantic regions of the U.S. It is forecast to be a particularly hot summer for the majority of the country, including much of the West, Florida, and the Northeast. It's going to be another sweltering summer across much of the U.S. Now, energy experts are predicting cooling costs will reach the highest level in 12 years — and possibly a new record (Getty Images) The groups cited two reasons for rising prices. First, that the cost of electricity is rising faster than average inflation. Second, that summer temperatures are continuing to result in severe and prolonged heat waves. It's a burden, they warned, that falls disproportionately on low-income families. Nearly 20 percent of low-income families have no air conditioning. 'The average energy burden for low-income households is about 8.6 percent of income, almost three times the rate for non-low-income households (3.0 percent),' the organizations said, noting that a recent survey had found the percentage of household that could not pay their energy bill for at least one month in the last year has increased, up from 21.4 percent to 25.3 percent. While the official poverty rate fell in 2023, the Census Bureau says there were still 36.8 million people living in poverty that year. The burden, the report said, falls to them because of a lack of access to affordable summer cooling systems, high electric bills, and cutbacks in the federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The program was reportedly included in recent Trump administration cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. For low-income families, the upcoming months look particularly 'dire' without access to home cooling. Nearly 20 percent of low-income families have no air conditioning (Getty Images) This summer, they said only 26 states and the nation's capital will offer cooling assistance. Furthermore, just 17 states and Washington, D.C., are slated to provide some level of protection against utility companies shutting offer electricity due to unpaid bills during sweltering summer months. This leaves low-income families in 33 states without protections to exposure to dangerous health conditions, including heat stroke and even death. More than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's more than any other weather event. Notably, those who do have access to heating and cooling systems may also be behind on energy bills from the winter months, and the amount of money consumers owe their utilities has increased from $17.5 billion in January 2023 to $24 billion in March 2025. One out of six households in the U.S. are estimated to be behind on their energy bills, NEADA said. 'Put plainly, the situation for low-income households this summer looks dire. NEADA and CEPC are concerned that this summer could be deadly for many low-income households across the United States,' they concluded.
