State program aims to help low-income families through winter

As winter makes its appearance in Iowa and thermostats begin to be turned up, energy bills reflect the increased usage of furnaces and other heating devices. For those living on fixed incomes, the sudden spike in living costs can be difficult to manage and can mean having to choose between staying warm or being able to afford necessary medicine and adequate food.

For those needing assistance with their energy bills over the winter, the statewide Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the most widely accessible program. LIHEAP, a program under the Iowa Department of Human Rights, is coordinated by local community centers in each county.

Applications were opened on Oct. 1 to households with someone over the age of 60 or those with a person with a disability. The general public can apply for the program from Nov. 1 through April 1. The program aims to help low-income families and determines aid through an algorithm that looks at multiple factors, including income and household size. If a household meets the requirements to receive funding, a lump-sum payment is made directly to their energy provider. On average, households often receive over $400 in assistance. In addition to monetary assistance, approval of a LIHEAP application provides households with moratorium protection through April 1.

To apply for the program, residents should seek out their local LIHEAP program center. Applicants should bring a form of identification (social security number or Iowa driver's license) as well as their 2018 federal tax return or an income stub from the last 30 days, along with their heating bill, to apply for the program.

In Henry County, the Community Action of Southeast Iowa at the Tolson Community Action Center in Mt. Pleasant assists county residents through the LIHEAP application process. Mica Van Amerongen, the family development specialist who is in charge of energy assistance program, says the program serves about 11 percent of households in the county (out of the 15 percent who live under the poverty line).

'Winter can be scary. There's the holidays and it gets really cold and we want families to be safe and to be warm and to be able to stay in their own homes and not have to worry. With the cold comes a lot of issues like pipes freezings, that keeps adding up financially,” Van Amerongen said.

The family development specialist also explained that the center has an emergency food pantry that low-income individuals and households can use once every 30 days for those struggling through the winter months.

'My tip is to, even if they think they're over income, unless they're extremely sure, to come in. They can always call and talk to us … We're always open to answer questions,” Van Amerongen added.

In addition to LIHEAP, low-income families are also eligible to be considered for the state's weatherization program. Carol Long, the Community Action program specialist at Sieda Community Action, which services Jefferson County, further explained that applicants of LIHEAP are automatically reviewed for weatherization, which assesses the energy efficiency of homes and provides funding to help install insulation or update furnaces that will help cut energy costs through efficiency.

The weatherization program is also part of why LIHEAP provides moratorium. In order for assessments to be conducted, energy cannot be cut off from homes. Long also explained that moratorium is only mandated by state when it is 20 degrees or below outside.

'However there are times when temperatures may get up to 30 or 32. If a household is not under moratorium protection, their energy company can shut them off,” Long said.

The Sieda Community Action is currently participating in a state pilot process to help make the LIHEAP application process easier, which includes several options.

'Applicants can pick up everything back and drop off, they can set up an appointment and see someone face-to-face or they can mail it back or do the online application,” Long noted.

Susan Tweedy, a service worker at the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program that serves Washington County, noted that this application round is a 'see-all year” which means every person applying in Washington County must go in for an appointment. Applicants can call in to the center to make an appointment or visit during walk-in hours.

For those looking to apply for LIHEAP in Henry County, applicants can get more information at http://www.caofseia.org/index.php. Applicants in Washington County can find information at http://www.hacap.org/. Those in Jefferson County can apply for the program online at https://www.sieda.org/energy-assistance-liheap/.

In addition to Community Action, residents of Henry County can go to the Fellowship Cup for assistance. The social services organization has an energy assistance program that helps households once a year with a $100 if the household has received a disconnect notice. In order to receive the funding, any remaining portion of the household's electricity bill that exceeds $100 must be paid beforehand by the household.

Ken Brown, the director of Fellowship Cup, noted that the organization helps at least 2 households per week through the energy assistance program and that spikes in applications usually happen after April 1 when the moratorium period concludes.

Brown also suggested residents struggling through the winter months 'take advantage” of the organization's food pantry program.

'If they're coming weekly they can save 20 to 25 bucks, which can go to utilities. They can stretch food stamps by coming here first and then those dollars can go toward utility bills, and if they're doing that on a weekly basis then it's 100 dollars a month that can go toward other things,” Brown said.

Outside of programs that provide assistance, local utility companies and energy providers also have tips for southeast Iowa residents to help them keep energy costs low during the winter.

Director of member services and public relations for Access Energy Cooperative, Kim Davis, guesstimates the average member uses about 1,000 kilowatt-hours per billing period. The energy cooperative serves rural residents in 10 counties across Iowa and has about 8,000 members. According to Davis, about 45 percent of resident's energy bills go toward heating and cooling, which is why people should try to keep their thermostats set at 68 degrees during the winter.

'Each degree can affect energy consumption by 3 percent,” she noted.

Davis' big suggestion to residents is to 'use space heaters sparingly.”

'Space heaters are great for just the living room to boost heat for just a little while, but if they're using a space heater to heat a large area, or on a 24 hour basis, they'll save by just using central heating,” she said. Davis also warned against using a space heater near a thermostat because the increased heat would cause temperatures to lower in all other areas of a house.

The director also explained that members could partake in the RECare program and donate to the program, which gives donations to local Community Action Programs.

'Members can add a dollar a month, or any amount, they can add to their bill, or they can come in and just put money in. We give that money to local community action, so all that money stays local,” Davis noted.

Jack Hedgecock from Mt. Pleasant Municipal Utilities said his company has a similar program called Project Share that functions exactly like RECare. Customers can donate to the program and donations are also distributed to local groups like Community Action to help with energy assistance programs.

Hedgecock also urged residents of Mt. Pleasant to take advantage of the company's rebate programs, which will help households become more energy efficient.

'People will save short-term and long-term,” Hedgecock noted.

The general manager of the utilities company explained that fixtures like mini-split heat and air conditioning allows people more control over heating and cooling and can therefore ultimately cut costs. Investing in insulation and more efficient heat pumps also will help customers save. The rebate program includes helping residents with 25 percent of attic insulation replacement costs as well as 50 percent of material costs for residential lighting retrofit. The program also helps to pay a part of the costs for energy efficient electric water heaters and programmable thermostats.

Hedgecock also urged households to use LED light bulbs and weatherproofing windows by using weatherstrips and investing in inexpensive plastic covers from stores like Walmart. Other common-sense tips from the utilities company includes shutting off lights when not in use as well as changing filters in heating and cooling systems regularly. Like Davis, Hedgecock urged residents to keep thermostats set at 68 degrees and avoid using space heaters if possible.

'We're not asking people to give up their comfort but they should also be conscious of the energy efficiency … space heaters are really not efficient,” Hedgecock said.