There is a price to pay for escaping scorching temperatures such as the heat wave Greater Cleveland just experienced – high electric bills.
For those struggling to keep up with cooling costs, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Summer Crisis Program may offer help. The program provides one-time assistance with electric utility bills, central air conditioning repairs and purchasing an air conditioning unit and/or fan(s).
The HEAP Summer Crisis Program is available to households must be at or below 175 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). For a family of four, that comes to $57,750. Families can receive up to $500 if their utility company is regulated and up to $800 if they are served by an unregulated utility provider.
See chart below for other family size and income guidelines:
In addition to meeting income guidelines, a household member must meet at least one of these conditions:
- Be at least 60 years old
- Be able to provide documentation from a doctor that cooling assistance is needed for the person’s health.
- Households that have received a disconnect notice, had their utilities shut off or are trying to establish new electric service may be eligible for assistance.
- The HEAP assistance may also be used toward central air conditioning repairs or for purchasing an air conditioner and/or fan(s) even if they hit the maximum benefit of $500 or $800 depending on their utility company.
How do I apply for the HEAP Summer Crisis Program?
Applications for the HEAP Summer Crisis Program will be accepted from July 1 through Sept. 30. People may apply for this government-funded program through the local nonprofit Step Forward.
Households can receive one air conditioner and two fans every three years. Step Forward highlighted a difference between this program and the Winter Crisis Program. In the Summer Crisis Program, utility companies are not required to delay disconnection once a customer makes an appointment to get assistance through the program.
Find out more about Step Forward’s utility assistance programs by clicking on the nonprofit’s website at this link. To make an appointment to apply either calling (216) 480-HEAP (4327) or schedule online here.
If families have trouble getting an appointment and their service has already been disconnected Angela Graves, communications officer at Step Forward, said they should get on the organization’s reconnection waitlist.
“If your utility service is off and you cannot find an appointment, go to the scheduler and get on the waitlist and we will prioritize that waitlist,” she told Signal Cleveland.
Step Forward also offers drop in appointments and general inquiry hours Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at 2203 Superior Avenue.
Graves said it’s important that people bring all necessary documents to their appointments otherwise they won’t be able to apply for assistance.
These are among the documents people will need to apply:
- A photo ID for each person that is listed on the utility bill.
- Proof of income for each household member. Income includes: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Social Security, pension, alimony, wages, self-employment earnings, unemployment insurance benefits, etc.
- Copies of your most recent utility bills
- A list of all household members, including Social Security numbers and birth dates
- Proof of U.S. citizenship/legal residency for all household members.
- Documents that are accepted to prove U.S. citizenship/legal residency include: a Social Security card, birth certificate, U.S. passport, naturalization papers/certification of citizenship, permanent VISA, or INS ID Card.
Applicants applying online will need a scanned copy or photo for proof of income, recent utility bills and proof of citizenship to upload with their application.
FirstEnergy and Cleveland Public Power offer payment options
If you don’t qualify for utility assistance programs and your bill gets too high, utility companies often have payment options that could help you.
“As seasonal temperatures shift, as we are currently experiencing in Ohio, energy uses tends to increase – leading to higher bills,” spokesperson Eric Alves wrote wrote in an email to Signal Cleveland. “No one should feel stressed about staying comfortable at home and we are dedicated to helping customers get back on track and manage their energy costs.”
These include searching for outside payment assistance programs at this link. (HEAP and PIPP Plus are among them.) The Equal Payment Plan, in which customers are billed one-twelfth of the annual estimated usage each month, may also make things more manageable for some customers.
If customers are at least 60 years old, receive Social Security benefits or disability assistance they can also make special arrangements to pay their bills or extend their payment due date at firstenergycorp.com/billassist.
Cleveland Public Power also offers options that could benefit customers struggling to pay utility bills including Budget Billing which like the Equal Payment Plan can alleviate higher bill payments due to seasonal changes.
