SaveOnUtilities.com

LIHEAP

Related Articles

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Attention Advertisers

Your State's LIHEAP Contacts

Consumer LIHEAP brochure

Simple Application Overview

Why Does LIHEAP Exist?

The mission of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is to assist low income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs.

Program Summary

LIHEAP is a Federally funded block grant program that is implemented at the State level. All fifty States , the District of Columbia , five territories, and about 140 Tribes and Tribal organizations receive LIHEAP grants each year. Grantees serve low income households who seek assistance for their home energy bills. LIHEAP has been operating since 1982 and its purpose is: "to assist low-income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes, that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs. "The program encourages priority be given to those with the " highest home energy needs", meaning low income households with a high energy burden and/or the presence of a "vulnerable" individual in the household, such as a young child, disabled person, or frail older individual.

Some forms of assistance available to low income households through State LIHEAP programs include: financial assistance towards a household's energy bill, emergency assistance if a household's home energy service is shut off or about to be shut off, and a range of other energy-related services that States may choose to offer, such as weatherization improvements, utility equipment repair and replacement, budgeting counseling and so forth. Adequate home heating and cooling are a necessity of life. The inability to heat or cool your home adequately can put persons in your home at risk for health and safety problems.

LIHEAP grantees, i.e., States, Tribes and Insular Area governments, receive block grant funding from the Administration for Children and Families to run their LIHEAP programs. Additionally, LIHEAP grantees may receive separate contingency funds, which are released at the President's discretion to supplement needs in areas during times of energy emergencies, such as extreme weather or high fuel prices. Grantees may also apply for additional Federal funds through the optional LIHEAP Leveraging program where the Federal government provides funds to grantees that leverage their Federal LIHEAP funds with non- Federal energy assistance resources. Each year LIHEAP also awards a limited amount of funds under the REACH program to grantees that provide innovative plans through local community-based agencies to help LIHEAP-eligible households reduce their energy vulnerability and minimize health and safety risks from inadequate home temperatures.

The Division of Energy Assistance conducts the following activities in administering LIHEAP at the Federal level:

• develops guidelines, policies and regulations to provide direction to grantees (States, the District of Columbia, Indian tribes/tribal organizations, and Insular areas) in administering LIHEAP;

• calculates grantee allotments for block grant, emergency contingency, and leveraging incentive funds;

• develops statistical information regarding home energy consumption, state median income estimates, fuel costs, and housing and demographic characteristics;

• prepares, analyzes, and recommends specific proposals for new legislation; prepares reports as required by Congress;

• identifies and develops research and evaluation priorities and assesses the impact of research and evaluation findings and statistical data in terms of program directions;

• provides leadership in interpretation and application of federal program policy as it relates to compliance activities in the LIHEAP program; evaluates compliance of grantee policies and operations with statutory and regulatory requirements; and provides support in developing and implementing program improvements;

• investigates complaints;

• reviews LIHEAP grantee applications and amendments;

• provides the ACF Office of Financial Management with information necessary to issue LIHEAP grants;

• provides assistance to States, Tribes and Insular Areas in developing energy program policies and operational procedures.

• assists grantees and other public and private organizations by providing training and technical assistance

To Apply as a Consumer: Click the link in the left hand column above to access your state's LIHEAP office. If you call the National LIHEAP office (1-866-674-6327) you will be directed to your state, since that is who administers your application and questions.

Consumers: Also see Consumer LIHEAP Brochure

www.SaveOnUtilities.com. has been developing for months. But the actual construction of this site was begun on February 11, 2009.

The site will be THE comprehensive site for consumers, showing them the myriad of ways they can save on their utility expense.

This column will be available to those wishing to advertise their utility, their product, or their service. Contact us at: trimutilities@aol.com to arrange for your ad. The site will be substantially completed within a month, but if you wait until that moment, space may well be taken. This is the time to strike a deal for a bargain ad. We have posted the site early for this purpose.