(WNY News Now) – As winter approaches, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging New Yorkers to apply for federal assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a program that helps households with heating costs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With winter fast approaching, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference to share how New Yorkers can apply to receive federal assistance to lower their heating bills. Gillibrand recently helped secure $360 million in federal funding for New York through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps thousands of low-income households across the state afford their energy bills and make cost-effective repairs to their heating systems. During winter 2022-2023, the program helped 1.1 million New York households heat their homes.
“With many New York families struggling to afford the basics, winter brings on a new stressor in the form of heating bills,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Fortunately, help is available. I fight for funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program every year, and so far this year, I’ve secured $360 million for New York alone. This funding will be a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers this winter, and I encourage everyone in need to apply as soon as possible.”
New Yorkers can find eligibility requirements at ny.gov/heat. The program can provide financial assistance for those who heat their homes with electricity, natural gas, oil, coal, propane, wood or wood pellets, kerosene, or corn.
As of November 1, households in New York City can apply for HEAP’s regular heating assistance benefit online at access.nyc.gov. Households outside New York City can apply at myBenefits.ny.gov.
All households in New York State can also apply in person at their local departments of social services, or in writing by mailing a completed application to their local departments of social services.
Applications for Emergency HEAP Benefits, which assist households in immediate danger of running out of heating fuel or having their utility service shut off, will open on January 2, 2025.
Senator Gillibrand has consistently worked to help New Yorkers afford their utilities. She cosponsors the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, which would increase annual funding for LIHEAP to $40 billion and expand eligibility to ensure that no household pays more than three percent of its annual income on energy costs. The bill would also give states the ability to leverage LIHEAP funding to advance climate adaptation and increase the funding that is made available for weatherization. In 2022, Gillibrand successfully fought for $1 billion in emergency supplemental LIHEAP funding in the short-term government funding package passed in September. This aid delivered over $63 million in additional support for New Yorkers to defray their home energy costs this winter on top of the $349 million appropriated from the regular LIHEAP block grant and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Senator Gillibrand also called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to use its statutory authority to ensure that Americans’ household energy bills would not be driven up by energy market manipulation in wholesale natural gas and electricity markets. In 2021, Senator Gillibrand called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address the ongoing energy crisis and ensure families that rely on LIHEAP had the resources they needed to stay warm through the winter. When millions of workers were laid off at the onset of the pandemic, Senator Gillibrand fought alongside her colleagues to deliver $900 million in LIHEAP funding in the CARES Act and an additional $4.5 billion in supplemental funding to the program as part of the American Rescue Plan.
