Housing Energy and Utility Assistance


National
State Listings:   AZ / DC / NJ / NV / OR    (Official USPS State Abbreviations)

National

New Sign 7 Ways to Save Electricity and Money Around the House by Kevin Jefferson on the plainhelp.com website. Owning a home can be quite expensive at times. Between your mortgage, food, insurance and taxes, the cost of a home can be a lot to handle. In addition to that, you also need to worry about the utilities, like electricity and energy. While these costs might not be anything close to your mortgage, they can certainly add up over time. In fact, the average monthly cost of electricity in the USA is around $110. While some can handle these costs, perhaps you are looking for anything you can do to reduce utilities and save money for needed repairs. This article looks at seven different ways to save electricity (and thus money).

Choose Energy: 10 Ways to Save Money and Energy in your home You don’t have to sacrifice comfort in your home to save a little extra on your electricity and water bills. These tips will help you save money. Choose Energy is headquartered in Texas.

Community Action Partnership supports the work of Community Action Agencies (CAA) throughout the United States. CAAs offer a range of assistance to low-income families, including homeownership and rental assistance and home energy and weatherization assistance. To locate a CAA that serves your area, call the Partnership at (202) 265-7546.

EnergySavers.gov is a website developed by the US Department of Energy that provides practical tips to help you minimize your energy expenses. Many of these tips can reduce your energy expenses by as much as 10 percent each year! Comprehensive Energy Saver Guides are also available for download.

Lifeline Across America is a national working group that provides information and resources regarding the Lifeline and Link-Up programs, which provide discounts to low-income consumers for telephone installation and monthly bills. Lifeline provides monthly discounts of at least $10 per month. Link-Up pays up to $30.00 of home phone startup fees (even if it�s a cell phone). Link-Up also lets consumers borrow up to $200 of set-up fees, interest-free, for up to one year. Visit the Lifeline website or contact your local telephone company to learn more.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federally funded program to help eligible low-income households meet their home heating and/or cooling needs. While LIHEAP is a federal program, you must apply directly with your State, Indian tribe or tribal organization, as applications, eligibility, assistance, and benefit levels vary among LIHEAP programs. To learn how you can apply, contact the National Energy Assistance Referral Project by calling (866) 674-6327.

State Listings

Arizona

Arizona Public Service (APS) funds Project SHARE (Service to Help Arizonans with Relief on Energy), a program that helps those who need assistance with paying their energy bills (gas, electric, oil, wood). The Salvation Army manages the funds, selects recipients and disburses funds. Qualified individuals must: be over the age of 60, living on a fixed income and facing a financial emergency, be under the age of 60 and experiencing special hardships, or be disabled with no source of income. For more information, contact your local Salvation Army Office.

Home Energy Assistance Fund, a program of the Arizona Community Action Association assists low income and financially struggling households in Arizona pay for and reduce home energy (heating/cooling) costs. This assistance is provided to families that may have been turned down for LIHEAP assistance. For more information, call the Association at (602) 604-0640.

Nevada

Community Services Agency and Development Corporation, in partnership with Sierra Pacific Power Company, offers SAFE - the Special Assistance Fund for Energy Utility Assistance, designed to provide limited utility payment assistance to low-income families. For more information, call the SAFE Hotline at (775) 786-6023 ext. 330.

New Jersey

New Jersey SHARES (New Jersey Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services) is a non-profit corporation organized to provide assistance to individuals and families living in New Jersey who are in need of temporary help in paying their energy bills. For more information, call (908) 979-3377 or e-mail info@njshares.org.

Oregon

Neighbor Impact serving all of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties in Oregon, has a mission to break the cycle of poverty by helping remove the barriers that prevent people from achieving self-sufficiency. They offer rent assistance, utility and weaterization assistance and a meal program. For more information, call (541) 548-2380.

Washington DC

Lutheran Social Services offers an emergency assistance program to individuals and families in need throughout the metro area of Washington DC. The goal of the program is to prevent homelessness by addressing basic material needs of those who require temporary aid during times of financial crisis. Such aid can include rent, mortgage, and utility assistance, food and clothing as well as transportation assistance. They also offer long term case management services, providing assessments, counseling, information and referral, and follow-up. For more information, call (202) 723-3000 ext. 202 or e-mail masseyg@lssnca.org.

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