Help available with winter heating bills

VW independent staff/submitted information

Winter still has Ohio in its grasp leaving many households facing higher energy bills. Those who are with an investor-owned utility have several options at their fingertips to ensure their electricity and natural gas stay on this winter heating season, along with help to get reconnected if they have been disconnected from their heating source.

“Each winter, households in Ohio can face difficult decisions regarding which bills to pay,” Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Chair Jenifer French said. “Programs such as HeatShare, administered by the Salvation Army, are vital to ensuring that Ohio’s most vulnerable can heat their homes.”

Anyone facing issues with paying their utility bills should reach out to the utility first and then to their local Salvation Army for help in enrolling in any applicable assistance program.

Assistance programs offered through utilities and the special reconnect order from the PUCO can be used to help families avoid shut offs and keep their homes warm. The special reconnect order allows households to pay a one-time payment of up to $175 to have their service restored or maintained if they have been disconnected or have been threatened with a disconnection notice. Many households also have the ability to use the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) or the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP Plus) to manage their bills.

HEAP  is a federally funded program administered by the Ohio Department of Development. It is designed to help eligible, low-income Ohioans meet the high costs of home heating. HEAP pays a one-time payment for most PUCO-regulated utility customers reflecting their usage for the current winter heating season.

PIPP Plus helps make monthly payments more affordable on a year-round basis. And, when a PIPP Plus household pays the monthly PIPP Plus payment on-time and in-full, some of their old debt and the rest of that month’s bill goes away in the form of a credit on their utility account.

For both HEAP and PIPP Plus, households must be at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Additional information about utility assistance programs  can be found on the PUCO’s website.