Cooling Assistance Up by 88 Percent

According to survey results issued June 19 by the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), over 5.7 million households will receive heating assistance this fiscal year, the highest number in 13 years, and just over 594,000 will receive cooling assistance, the highest in the history of the program. This represents a 12 percent increase in the number of households receiving heating assistance, and an increase of 88.5 percent in households receiving cooling assistance.

Based on surveys of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NEADA found that nine states had increases of at least 25 percent in the number of households receiving heating assistance. The increases were made possible by an additional $1 billion in LIHEAP funding appropriated by Congress in late March.

States report using the additional funds as follows:

• Increased regular benefits: AL, AK, AR, CO, FL, HI, IL, MA, MT, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT
• Increased crises benefits: AR, Fl, KY, ID, ME, MI, NC, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, WI, WV
• Provided additional supplemental benefit: AK, ID, IL, IA, MI, MN, NE, NJ, NV, OK, UT, WY
• Increased eligibility ceiling: KY, MA, NH, OH
• Extended program eligibility dates: CA, CT, DC, GA, KS, MA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, WV
• Added funding or expanded cooling assistance: AR, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, VA
• Expanded or began a summer pre-buy program for delivered fuels: CT, DC, MN, MT, VT
• Provide additional Assurance 16 training and outreach activities AZ, NV
• Increased program set-aside for Weatherization: CO, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, TX, UT, VA, WY

More details are available on the NEADA website, along with information on approved or proposed natural gas and electric rate increases across the country. For more details on LIHEAP cooling assistance programs, see the LIHEAP Clearinghouse.

Source: NEADA

Page Last Updated: June 19, 2006