Heating Assistance Program
How are you going to pay your winter heating bills?
Plan Ahead Now!
Did you receive Heating Assistance this past winter? If the answer is yes, you need to plan ahead now for how you are going to pay for your heat this coming winter.
Budget cuts have resulted in the elimination of the Alaska Affordable Heating Program which assisted households with income between 151% and 225% of poverty. If you fall into this income category, you will not qualify for assistance this winter. If your income is less than 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines, you may receive a benefit, but it will be about 30% lower than what you have received the past several years.
NEW FY 2020 Poverty Guidelines
| # of People in Household |
Less Than 150% of Poverty |
| 1 | $ 1,897 |
| 2 | $ 2,572 |
| 3 | $ 3,247 |
| 4 | $ 3,922 |
| 5 |
$ 4,597 |
What Can You Do To Prepare?
- Contact your vendor and get on a budget plan. These plans take into consideration your annual usage and then set you up for a set, budget, amount each month. This spreads out the cost of heating and makes the payments more manageable and easier to budget for.
- Create your own “energy fund.” Start to put a little money aside each week/month to cover your heating bills when winter comes.
- Sign-up for weatherization or seal-up drafts in your home yourself. Anywhere you can feel cold air coming in, the heat can also escape.
- For more information on free or low-cost weatherization go to: https://www.ahfc.us/efficiency/energy-programs/weatherization
- For more information and an application:
Interior Weatherization, Inc.