Maine PUC Boosts Electric Bill Assistance

On April 25, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) voted to increase funding of the Statewide Low-Income Assistance Plan (LIAP) by 20 percent to help Maine families keep pace with rising electricity rates.

The LIAP is designed to make electric bills more affordable for qualified low-income consumers. Those consumers who qualify for participation in Maine’s LIHEAP program also qualify for participation in the LIAP. A central fund, managed by the MPUC and funded by the electric utilities through their rates, finances the LIAP and apportions the fund to these same electric utilities based on the percentage of LIHEAP eligible households in each utility’s service territory.

The planned increase will take program funding from $5.8 million to nearly $7 million beginning on October 1, 2006. During the 2004-05 program year, 23,161 electric utility customers participated in the program.

Source: Maine PUC

Page Last Updated: May 9, 2006