SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — With the winter months coming, are you worried about paying your heating bill? Inflation, a job loss, or an unexpected expense can thrust anybody into a tight spot.
There is help available to heat your home if you're struggling financially, and I looked into your options.
“To keep your bill from getting out of control, what do you do?” I asked Candee Saferian of Farmington.
“Well, I have the programmable thermostat," she said.
Even if you keep close tabs on where you set the temperature, sometimes the burden of heating your home can become too much.
“How big is the need for people who have trouble with their home heating bills?” I asked Dan Scripps, the chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
"Every year we dedicate $50 million to the Michigan Energy Assistance Program," he said.
The Michigan Energy Assistance Program – or MEAP – uses that $50 million a year to provide supplemental bill payment assistance to eligible low-income households.
“Did you have any money left over from that fund last year or did you exhaust it all?” I asked.
“We exhausted it all. So sometimes we rollover a small amount, in less than 1%, just to try and make sure that we've got the dollars through the rest of the year," Scripps said. "But we always exhaust it all. The need is greater than the funds available.”
In 2022, MEAP provided energy assistance and self-sufficiency services to more than 56,000 income-qualified households.
So, how do you get that help? First, contact your utility company or propane supplier as soon as you know you won’t be able to make your payment on time. Don’t wait for that utility shut-off notice.
Second, call 211 for a free confidential referral to service providers and others who can assist you. Sometimes you can get it all sorted out in the course of the day.
Michigan 211 processed 196,000 calls in 2022 according to the Michigan Public Service Commission. Almost half of those calls were for utility assistance. You can also visit MI211.org to get access to those resources online.
If you only need one-time assistance, the State Emergency Relief (SER) program is for people with a certain income who've received a past-due notice, shut-off notice or need for deliverable fuel.
You must apply for SER assistance before receiving MEAP services, and you can do that through MI Bridges online.
Michigan also offers the Home Heating Creditto help pay winter heating bills. It's for qualified low-income families, those who receive public assistance, or those who get unemployment compensation. Applications for next year may be filed in early 2024.
If you don't meet low-income assistance eligibility, Scripps recommends you contact your utility or propane provider to set up a payment plan. You can do that for Consumers Energyand DTE Energyhere.
If you want to find out where you use... and lose... the most energy, ask for a home energy analysis. Both DTE and Consumers Energyoffer a consultation.
You may even be eligible for free energy-efficient upgrades around your home to help cut down on your energy use and save you money.
