LIHEAP applications open for Pennsylvanians who need help with winter utility bills

Federal funding is now available for those who need help paying their utility bills this winter.

Whether we like it or not, cold weather is coming. That means we'll need to turn up the heat, but higher utility bills could lead to more challenges for some. 

"People have to make decisions of whether or not you're going to buy groceries or be able to pay your utility bills," said Andrew Barnes, the executive deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Barnes said help is out there so people hopefully don't have to make that choice, specifically through LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which opened for applications on Monday in the state. It's the federally funded program that helps eligible families who meet income guidelines pay their heating bills by sending payments directly to their utility company or fuel provider.

There are cash and crisis grants. The minimum cash grant is $200 and the maximum is $1,000. You can only get one per season. A crisis grant can go from $25 to $1,000.

"There's an emergency, so let's say that the furnace broke, you know you're about to have your heat cut off," Barnes said.

You can get more than one crisis grant if you have more than one emergency, and it's possible to be eligible for both kinds of grants.

Last LIHEAP season, nearly 279,000 households received cash benefits, averaging $289. Another more than 121,000 households received crisis benefits, averaging $566.

With rising costs of electricity, fuel, and heating oil, Barnes said those numbers could increase.

"We certainly could anticipate more as additional costs are incurred," Barnes said.

However, he said the state is prepared to deliver the benefits and meet the need.

He also said even if a family was a part of the program last year, they need to apply again, and they should also seek out assistance from their utility providers, which likely have their own discounts as well.

"LIHEAP is a supplement," Barnes said. "It's not the sole solution, and so it's important that they're also communicating with the utility company."

You can find details on eligibility and apply to the program online.