Assistance ramps up as Tampa Bay seniors struggle with utility bills
One Pinellas organization has doubled aid to seniors this fall, and funding is starting to run out.
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A lineman with Service Electric Co. works on a project at a Duke Energy substation Jan. 7 on Ulmerton Road in Largo. During the pandemic, Duke has been working with customers on payment options and financial assitance. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | TImes ]
Published Dec. 24, 2020
Tampa Bay area assistance programs are working to keep up with demand this fall and winter as seniors grapple with the financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
Assistance payments from October to December are twice what they were over the same period last year from the federal Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program, according to Amber Bridges, a manager for the Pinellas Opportunity Council.
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Financial assistance to help pay energy bills is available, Alliant Energy announces Wednesday, December 23, 2020 11:16 AM Alliant Energy customers can apply for assistance if they need financial support to help pay energy bills, the company announced this week. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 3 households have struggled to pay regular expenses, including utility bills, since the start of the pandemic. About 1 in 6 U.S. workers have filed for unemployment. Alliant customers needing assistance should call 211 or visit alliantenergy.com/energyassistance for details about available options, including the federally funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Hometown Care Energy Fund, which partners with local nonprofits to distribute the funds. The Hometown Care Energy Fund is supported with funds from Alliant Energy shareowners and voluntary contributions from employees, retirees and customers.
Tips for saving on your energy bills
MGN online
and last updated 2020-12-23 10:04:48-05
The weather outside may be frightful, but your energy bill does not have to be.
Instead of cranking up the thermostat during the cold weather months, Entergy offers information on free or low-cost steps to make your home more energy efficient to help save money on your utility bills.
With many customers still working or taking on other activities from home due to the pandemic, managing and conserving your energy usage is more important than ever, Entergy says.
Remember, heating and air conditioning can account for more than 50% of a homeâs energy usage. Setting the thermostat to 68 degrees during the winter months is an easy way to reduce your energy usage. Every degree above 68 degrees can increase your bill by about 3%. So, if you crank it up to 78 degrees, for example, you could add 30% to your bill.
URBANA â With the coldest months of winter on the way, Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign will be giving away half its Christmas Eve offering to help ease the misery of utility shut-offs.
âIn this winter of sickness and desperation, it just seems like the right thing for us to do, to help our neighbors on Christmas Eve in this direct way,â said the churchâs lead pastor, the Rev. Florence Caplow.
She invites the rest of the community to join her church in donating to a new utility bill assistance fund to be administered by Cunningham Township.
The fund is intended to help pay utility bills for people when no other options are available.