Recently, the Kentucky Public Service Commission announced that residents across the Commonwealth should expect their home heating bills to rise this winter due to high natural gas prices. After months of feeling squeezed by record-breaking gas prices, families in the Fourth District cannot afford another round of budget-straining energy bills.
Nearly fifty percent of Kentuckians use natural gas to heat their homes. Despite the recent decline in oil and natural gas prices, these consumers will have to pay an average of seventeen percent more for natural gas this winter. Utility companies purchase and store a portion of their winter energy supplies during the summer, when the price of natural gas is usually cheaper. However, as a result of last summer’s staggering energy prices, families across the Commonwealth will be faced with more high energy costs this winter.
Some Kentuckians can receive federal assistance to help pay for home heating costs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Congress established LIHEAP in 1984 to help low-income families afford their home energy bills. Congress increased funding for LIHEAP for this fiscal year. This increase in funds will help to ensure that more qualified Kentuckians can heat their homes this winter. LIHEAP funds are distributed through the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Community Action Kentucky.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services also administers the federally-funded Weatherization Assistance Program. This program helps families make their homes more energy efficient to reduce the cost of home heating and cooling bills. Through the Weatherization Program, trained experts can evaluate eligible homes and suggest measures the owners should take to make their home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
You can reduce your monthly heating costs by making a few small changes around your home. Prevent cold winter air from seeping into your home by sealing any cracks around windows and doors with caulk, weather stripping or plastic. To ensure your furnace, heat pump or other heating equipment always working efficiently, schedule regular maintenance checks. Installing a programmable thermostat and insulating heating and cooling ducts are other ways to make your home more energy efficient and save money this winter. For more tips to make your home energy efficient, visit http://www.energystar.gov/.
If you or someone you know needs assistance paying their home energy bills, or if you would like to learn more about the Weatherization Assistance Program, contact Community Action Kentucky at (800) 456-3452, or call the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services at (800) 372-2973. Also, I encourage you to visit http://chfs.ky.gov/dcbs/dfs/LIHEAP.htm for more information about the LIHEAP program in Kentucky and to find out if you qualify for assistance.
While assistance programs like LIHEAP provide some relief for some families, ultimately, America needs a new comprehensive energy policy. The energy crisis that swept across our nation this past summer will have lasting effects on our communities. We must work together to develop and implement an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, increase supply and stimulate job creation in our economy.