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BELLEVUE — Higher heating bills are hard
to avoid when winter’s chill arrives, but
for thousands of Puget Sound Energy customers,
there is a way to avoid the financial sting. Eligibility
for HELP (Home Energy Lifeline Program) assistance
is based on household size and income. The earnings
limit for the program’s eligibility is set
at 150 percent of the federal poverty benchmark.
For a family of four, the current income cap is
$2,945 per month, and for a one-person household,
$1,455.
Household size and income, together with a
customer’s annual energy consumption,
also determine the precise amount of assistance
provided. A customer’s maximum award is
$750 per year. A separate, federally financed
program also offers energy assistance to low-income
households — but only in wintertime. A
small fraction of the usage-based rates paid
by all PSE natural-gas and electricity customers
is dedicated to the HELP program. On average,
residential electric customers pay about 43
cents per month into the fund, while the typical
gas customer pays about 24 cents per month.
Call 1-866-223-5425 for details.
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2006
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