Current heating oil prices are 86% higher than they were this time last year, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
To combat high energy costs heading into the colder months, Blumenthal requested Tuesday for the federal government to allocate $7 billion to the national Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“We are on the verge of much lower temperatures, a harsh winter for people who have to heat their homes, and a winter likely filled with hardship beyond any we've experienced in the recent past,” Blumenthal said. “The reason: the soaring, exorbitant prices of home heating oil.”
In Connecticut, LIHEAP is administered through the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), run by the state’s Department of Social Services (DSS). With CEAP, residents can receive a once-annual benefit of $355 to $705, based on household size, income and the type of heating source.
“I am here to demand that the United States Congress increase the request from this administration, which is about $4 billion,” Blumenthal said. “Add another $3 billion, so that we can increase the amount coming to Connecticut, which last year was about $94 million.”
Last year, more than 100,000 Connecticut families sought help with energy expenses, according to Community Renewal Team (CRT) Senior Vice President Christopher McCluskey. CRT is a nonprofit social service provider that helps connect residents with programs like energy assistance.
“Those numbers represent real people in real families,” McCluskey said. “They represent a parent trying to keep their children warm. They represent older adults on fixed incomes. They represent people with disabilities, working families, veterans who honorably served our country, renters and homeowners alike.”
McCluskey said he expects the number of families seeking help to increase this year, as the cost for every type of fuel has increased, including the price of diesel gas used by the trucks delivering oil or natural gas to homes.
“It costs more money to bring those different fuel sources to your home, which is going to increase the price and the bottom line for the customer,” McCluskey said.
To qualify for CEAP assistance, a family of two cannot earn more than about $63,700 and a family of four cannot earn more than roughly $93,700, according to CRT.
Additionally, Connecticut’s oldest fuel fund, Generation Power CT, previously known as Operation Fuel, received more than 2,000 requests for help last month.
The annual $500 energy assistance benefit from Generation Power doesn’t go as far anymore, according to Generation Power’s Chief Executive Officer Perkin Simpson.
“Last year, that was enough to pay for over 100 gallons of delivered fuel, which is the minimum required by vendors,” Simpson said. “This year, with prices almost at $6 per gallon, we're not able to reach those minimums.”
