The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program By the Numbers

[Breeze54]

Matilda Winslow, 75, buys discounted heating oil with the help of the
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to heat her Boston-area home.

SOURCE: AP Photo/Josh Reynolds

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program By the Numbers

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/07/liheap_numbers.html

July 16, 2008

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a federal block grant that assists low-income households with energy costs by providing funding to the 50 states and other jurisdictions to operate home energy assistance programs. New legislation, the http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-3186">Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act (S. 3186), was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) earlier this year. It has 39 Senate cosponors. If passed, it would reach the authorized funding level for LIHEAP with more than $2.5 billion in additional funding for fiscal year 2008. A by-the-numbers look at the current state of LIHEAP funding makes clear that this funding is needed to help vulnerable households pay their energy bills and prevent families from having to cut spending on necessities.

Many Households Qualify, Few Receive Assistance

http://www.naruc.org/Resolutions/Resolution%20on%20LIHEAP%20Funding.pdf">38 million: The number of households that meet the federal income requirement for LIHEAP, which in some states is up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or $30,326 for a family of four.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">5.8 million or 15.6 percent: The percentage of eligible households who received LIHEAP funding in fiscal year 2007.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">1.6 million: Increase in the number of households receiving some form of LIHEAP assistance from FY 2002 to FY 2007, from 4.2 million to about 5.8 million.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">15 percent: The percentage of yearly income that LIHEAP households spend on home energy bills, compared to just 3.4 percent for other households.

http://www.aarp.org/research/utilities/access/fs138_liheap.html#FOOT8">94 percent: The percentage of households that receive LIHEAP assistance who report having at least one family member who is elderly, disabled, or a child under 18.

Funding Is Inadequate

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">93.6 percent: The estimated percentage increase in an average heating oil bill from FY2003 to FY2008, from $951 to $1,841.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">50 percent: The estimated percentage increase in an average natural gas bill from FY2003 to FY2008, from $600 to $900.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">13.6 percent: The estimated percentage decline from FY2003 to FY2008 in how much of a family’s annual home heating oil bill a LIHEAP grant covered. The grants could cover 36.7 percent of costs in 2003, but covered only 23.1 percent in 2008.

http://www.neada.org/publications/issuebriefs/2007-11-26.pdf">10.9 percent: The estimated percentage decline from FY2003 to FY2008 in how much of a family’s annual natural gas bill a LIHEAP grant covered. The grants could cover 58.2 percent of costs in 2003, but covered only 47.3 percent in 2008.

http://www.liheap.org/">50 percent: The amount of appropriated funding for LIHEAP in FY2008 compared to the level authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act.

How Rising Energy Costs Affect Low-Income Families

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/medicine_electricity.html">31 percent: The percentage of low-income households who report maintaining unsafe or unhealthy home temperatures in order to lower energy bills, according to a recent report by The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association.

http://www.neada.org/communications/surveys/EPC_Energy_Costs_Survey_Report_2008.pdf">70 percent: The percentage of low-income households who report reducing spending on food because of high energy costs.

http://www.neada.org/communications/surveys/EPC_Energy_Costs_Survey_Report_2008.pdf">31 percent: The percentage of low-income households who have reduced spending on medicine because of increased energy prices.

http://www.neada.org/communications/surveys/EPC_Energy_Costs_Survey_Report_2008.pdf">29 percent: Percentage of low-income homes that report risking loss of home energy service due to skipped or partial energy bill payments.

Energy Costs Will Continue to Rise

http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo">5.2 percent: Percentage residential electricity prices are expected to increase in 2008. This is compared to 2.2 percent in 2007.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo">9.8 percent: Percentage residential electricity prices are expected to increase in 2009.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo">48.6 percent: The increase in heating oil cost from 2007-08.

President Bush Has Proposed Cuts to LIHEAP for 2009

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/02/energy_budget.html">$570 million: Proposed cut, by President George W. Bush, to The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for FY2009. This is a 22 percent cut from FY2008, even before adjusting for changes in energy prices.

Record high energy costs are only expected to soar higher this year and next. Yet states are unable to provide the much-needed aid that low-income Americans need to keep their homes and families safe because federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program has been unable to keep up with rising costs. What’s more, because of rising costs, there are more families applying for assistance.

More.......

For more on this topic, please see:

* http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/medicine_electricity.html">Medicine or Electricity? Americans Shouldn’t Have to Make the Choice

Winter is approaching fast... women earn less money than men.

How many people and families will be suffering needlessly, come this Autumn and Winter?

:(

[flashl]

1. Senate Blocks Bill to Help Poor Pay Energy Costs

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare Saturday session, the U.S. Senate voted against moving forward with legislation that would boost funding for a federal program that helps low- income families pay their cooling and heating bills.

The legislation would nearly double money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, commonly known as LIHEAP, to $5.1 billion.

"At a time when the cost of home heating fuels and electricity are soaring, and when the economy is in a decline, millions of Americans are finding it harder and harder to stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer," said independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who sponsored the legislation.

Low-income families spend on average about 15 percent of their income on home energy bills, compared with 3.4 percent for all other households.

[Breeze54]

2. Unfuckingbelievable!!!!!

:grr: :grr: :nuke: :banghead:

[flashl]

5. But, if they qualify for whatever the requirements are for homeownership they are in the clear. nt

[Breeze54]

7. What are you talking about?

:shrug:

[flashl]

9. On the SAME day, the Senate passes the housing bill. nt

[Breeze54]

11. Yeah but most low income people don't own houses.

I guess what you're saying is the senate was more worried about
bailing out the speculators and thieves and less about the poor?

What else is new? :grr:

[flashl]

12. Right. nt

[Breeze54]

3. Federal poverty level, or $30,326 for a family of four and some say it's really $40K or more!!

I guess people this winter will just have to go without food and meds while many Americans still remain silent.

:grr:

[Terran]

4. K&R

Not a very glamorous subject, but people will see this winter when millions of people can't afford their new higher (20-30% higer) gas/oil bills.

I just did an article on this very subject for a newsletter I do at my job; some of this is Missouri-specific info, but much of it applies nationally...

Nearly all of us see the volatility of gasoline prices at the pump every day. However, many people are not aware of the effect of high crude oil prices on another aspect of energy consumption: home heating costs. Summer energy costs can be burdensome too, but the difference between summer and winter costs is that cooling is powered mostly by electricity, which in Missouri is generated primarily by coal and nuclear power and not highly tied to crude oil prices. Winter heating comes mostly from natural gas, propane and home heating oil, all of which are tied to the price of crude oil.

Missouri households who rely on propane and natural gas to stay warm in the winter have especially seen consistent rises in the costs for these fuels the past few years, and Missouri state energy officials have warned that for the winter of 2008-09, the cost of propane and natural gas for home heating could be 20%-30% higher than last year. Such price increases threaten to impose major hardships on both low income and middle income households.

In times of hot and cold weather, energy consumption becomes the second largest monthly bill for most households after paying rent or a mortgage. The best way to prepare for increased costs and to avoid economic hardship is to be forewarned and to be prepared to take practical steps.

Winter Energy Savings

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provides extensive information on cold weather energy savings at its web site (http://dnr.missouri.gov/heatingcosts.htm), including a full list of statewide energy assistance programs. DNR recommends:

• Set your thermostat as low as it is comfortable. Each degree you lower your thermostat can cut your heating costs between one and three percent. A common strategy is to lower thermostat settings to 68 degrees. The lower you set it, the more you'll save.
• Turn your thermostat down 10 to 15 degrees during your sleeping hours or while you’re away, to save even more on your heating bill.
• Use a programmable thermostat with your furnace to adjust the setting while you sleep or no one is home.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month, or as needed.
• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
• Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
• Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season. If in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.
• Caulking and weather stripping keeps warm air in during the winter.
• Add insulation around heat ducts when they are located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, and garages.
• If you see holes or separated joints in your ducts, hire a professional to repair them.
• Check to see that your fireplace damper is tightly closed, when it is not in use.
• During the heating season, keep draperies and shades on south-facing windows open during the day to allow sunlight to enter your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.

Summer Energy Savings

• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Use a programmable thermostat with your air conditioner to adjust the setting at night or when no one is home.
• Use a fan with your window air conditioner to spread cool air effectively through your home without greatly increasing power use.
• Don’t set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It won’t cool your home any faster, and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense.
• Don’t place lamps or TVs near your air conditioner’s thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.
• Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.
• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
• Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows.
• Caulking and weather stripping will keep cool air in during the summer.
• Add insulation around air conditioning ducts when they are located in unconditioned spaces such as attics, crawl spaces, and garages.
• If you see holes or separated joints in your ducts, hire a professional to repair them.
• Check to see that your fireplace damper is tightly closed.

The U.S. Department of Energy has a consumer-friendly web site (http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/) dealing with energy efficiency and renewable energy. The site has a wide variety of information for renters, homeowners and business owners on how to save energy and how to use energy more efficiently.

Also of interest are several publications from the federal Energy Information Administration (www.eia.doe.gov) explaining the primary forms of energy used to heat and cool your home and what causes their prices to fluctuate:

Propane Prices—What Consumers Should Know (http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/propane/index.html)

Residential Electricity Prices—A Consumer’s Guide (http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/rep/index.html)

Residential Heating Oil Prices—What Consumers Should Know (http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/heatingoil/index.html)

Residential Natural Gas Prices—What Consumers Should Know (http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure/oil_gas/rngp/index.html)

[Breeze54]

10. Good advice! Thanks but many just won't turn on the heat or will keep

the thermostat extremely low, just to keep the pipes from freezing.
We'll have more elderly found dead in their homes this year.
A lot of elderly will do that. I had a friend with four kids and
I was always freezing my ass off, when I went to her house to visit.
I used to talk to her about it. She'd make excuses about this and
that but I knew she was struggling and there are many like her and
elderly that just won't be able to afford to fill the oil tank.
I've noticed around here, people have wood stacked to the roof
beside their houses now, that never have done that before.

It's going to be a hard winter this season for many... :(

[robinlynne]

6. sems to me exxonmobil should be paying for all of this!

[Breeze54]

8. Hell yeah and Mobile and all the oil companies!!

:grr:

This is really, really bad. Reply #1 has the news that this bill was blocked.

:nuke:

[Breeze54]

13. What are we going to do to rectify this? The Senate vetoed any help for the poor.

:( :shrug: