IUB offers home heating assistance to low income Iowans who qualify

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The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) offers assistance to low-income Iowans needing help with winter heating bills.

Certification in this Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is necessary to receive protection from utility disconnection during Iowa’s Winter Disconnection Moratorium and, with available funds, heating financial assistance.

This year’s LIHEAP application period already is underway for elderly, disabled, and crisis households. Applications will be accepted from all households beginning Nov. 1 and running through April 30. The (annual) one-time benefit payments are provided to certified customers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Iowans can apply for LIHEAP through their local Community Action Program (CAP) office. To locate the nearest CAP agency, contact a local utility or the Iowa Department of Human Rights, which administers the statewide assistance program, at (515) 281-0859. Iowa anticipates having approximately $67.8 million dollars in federal funds available for the program this heating season and one-time benefits to customers this winter will be about $600, up from about $550 last winter and $390 two years ago. The total amount of financial assistance available to Iowans through this program varies annually based upon the availability of federal funds.

Under Iowa’s Winter Disconnection Moratorium, from Nov. 1 through April 1, a utility cannot disconnect service to any resident that is certified as eligible for LIHEAP. Other customers may be disconnected for failure to pay utility bills during this period. If participants notify their gas and electric utility (prior to a scheduled disconnection) that they are applying for LIHEAP certification, they may receive a 30-day stay in the diconnection of service.

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