Help available for your home energy bill
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News from Energy Share of Montana
MONTANA — March 31 marked the end of the winter moratorium in Montana, which is that period of time when regulated utility companies need to first obtain approval from the Public Service Commission before disconnecting a customer’s natural gas or electricity account for non-pay.
With the end of the moratorium, many Montanans need some help catching up on that winter energy bill. There are two main sources of home energy assistance in Montana: One is LIHEAP and the other is Energy Share.
Montanans can apply for LIHEAP through April 30. LIHEAP is income based and many factors are taken into consideration when determining the eligibility amount. Energy Share helps Montanans who are facing loss of heat or lights in their homes and who have no resources to pay the bill themselves. Assistance is situationally based, not income based. This means that even if someone has an income that is higher than federal poverty guidelines, if their situation is such that they’re about to lose their heat or lights and they have no money in the bank to pay that bill, there is a good chance Energy Share can help them.
People can apply for both programs at the same office. In Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, and Sanders Counties, that is Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana (CAPNM) in Kalispell at 406-758-5433 or: www.capnm.net. If you or someone you know is struggling to pay their home energy bill, please contact CAPNM. All information is kept confidential. It is hard to ask for help. If you know someone who really should be on the receiving end of Energy Share but is hesitant to ask, please come alongside them as they reach out for assistance.
If you would like to support Energy Share, a 501(c)(3) organization, you can donate online at: www.energysharemt.com/donate-now or mail a check to Energy Share, PO Box 5959, Helena, MT 59604. Your donation is used first in the area from which it came. In Montana, neighbors help neighbors and that’s what Energy Share is all about.
