The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) joined recently to mark the beginning of the application process for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for the 2018-19 winter heating season.
The program assists with home heating bills. Crisis and regular LIHEAP grants begin Nov. 1 and continue through April 12, 2019.
“LIHEAP is an important tool for helping Pennsylvania families stay warm and safe during the winter, and the PUC has a long history of supporting this important service,” PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown said. “Now is the time for consumers to enroll in LIHEAP and to explore other assistance programs available from their utilities and various non-profit groups. Combined, these many different resources help hundreds of thousands of households and families across the commonwealth every year.”
Consumers can also contact their utilities for information about utility-operated programs that may be available to help customers pay their heating bills, the PUC noted. Utility customer assistance programs reach more than 302,000 electric customers and over 150,000 natural gas customers in Pennsylvania each year.
“Everyone deserves a safe, warm home that helps them stay healthy and comfortable throughout the winter. LIHEAP helped to make this possible for more than 340,000 Pennsylvanians last year,” DHS Secretary Teresa Miller said. “That number includes thousands of the commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens – children, older Pennsylvanians, and individuals with a disability – helping them make ends meet as heating costs increase.”