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Program can help pay summer power bills

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Staff report 11:21 PM Sunday, June 14, 2009

DAYTON — Residential customers of utilities could receive government help to pay their electric power bills this summer if they meet income guidelines for the low-income assistance program.

The “summer crisis program,” administered by the Ohio Department of Development, helps households with an annual income at or less than 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

Eligible consumers can receive a one-time payment of up to $175 toward their electric bill or assistance with cooling equipment, such as an air conditioner or fan, according to the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, the state advocate for residential customers of utilities.

Along with the income guidelines, households also must satisfy one of these criteria to be eligible for the assistance: have a member who is 60 or older, or have a member under 60 with health issues, verified by a doctor’s records.

An estimated one in 10 Ohio residential utility customers experienced a disconnection of either their electric or natural gas utility service for nonpayment during the past year, according to the Consumers’ Counsel office in Columbus.

For more information, contact the Ohio Department of Development at (800) 282-0880; the Community Action Partnership in Dayton at (937) 341-5000, ext. 128, or the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel at (877) 742-5622 or at www.pickocc.org.

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