Need help with your heating bill this winter? Here’s how to find out if you qualify for HEAP

ROCHESTER, NY – Heating season is upon us. If you think you’re going to have trouble keeping up with staying warm, you need to act immediately to get help. You can start applying for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) on Friday.

Although RG&E has yet to release its forecast for the winter, industry experts predict that natural gas and electric costs will be relatively similar to last year. But this winter is likely to be colder, so you’ll probably need a bigger supply to keep warm.

HEAP is available to low-income individuals and families. If you already receive Temporary Assistance, SNAP, or SSI, you are more likely to qualify. You may also qualify based on income. For example, a family of four with a monthly income of less than $6,390 can also get HEAP.

“Typically, RG&E has approximately 48,000 customers enrolled in HEAP, and remember that those enrolled in HEAP are automatically eligible for the Energy Assistance Program, or EAP, which is provided in the form of an automatic monthly bill credit” ,” says Alexis Arnold, communications manager for RG&E.

What if you’re worried about keeping up with your bills but don’t qualify for HEAP?

“We offer budget billing and this spreads the customer’s energy costs evenly over 12 months for a more predictable monthly payment. There are also other payment methods or options that we are working on with our customers,” says Arnold.

Information about power outages during the heating season from the New York City Department of Public Utilities:

Protection from cold weather – from November 1 to April 15

During the cold weather period between November 1st and April 15th, your utility company should make a special effort to determine if a heat-related service outage will cause a health and safety problem for you. He will attempt to contact you or another adult in your home by phone or in person at least three days before the planned service outage and again on the day of the service outage to determine whether the outage of heating-related service could cause serious harm to the health or safety of any occupant of your home. If the utility finds that it may cause harm, it must notify the local Department of Human Services, which will then conduct its own investigation. Meanwhile, your utility cannot shut off your service for the next 15 business days.

If the utility finds that you may not be able to protect yourself from negligence or dangerous situations, it will notify an agency, such as your local Department of Human Services, to assist you, and will continue to provide heating services for at least another 15 business days.

If your heating-related service is turned off and your utility was unable to contact an adult in your home before the service was turned off, they will try to determine whether someone lives in your home and, if so, whether serious harm could be caused harm to the health or safety of that person. If there is reason to believe that a person may be harmed as a result of your service interruption, your utility will restore your service within 15 business days and notify the local Department of Human Services so they can investigate.

More information about HEAP at this link.