By Anya Litvak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Low-income Pennsylvanians will not have to worry about losing utility service if they are behind on their bills in November, a month where they might have relied on the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, to avoid disconnection.
Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which administers the program in the state, announced that the opening of the LIHEAP season would be delayed until at least Dec. 3, pending the release of federal funds currently paused because of the federal government shutdown.
That left LIHEAP-eligible households with less of a safety net to avoid losing heat-related utility service before the annual winter moratorium on utility shutoffs begins Dec. 1. That protection runs through the end of March.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration reached out to utilities asking them to contact customers that might be impacted and to avoid shutoffs this month. On Monday, the commission said it secured their commitments.
“Ongoing conversations with major electric and natural gas utilities have made clear that LIHEAP-eligible households will not face service termination for non-payment during the period between the traditional start of the LIHEAP season, on November 1, and the beginning of the Commission’s winter termination moratorium on December 1,” the PUC wrote.
“Pennsylvania’s electric and gas utilities are stepping up to help,” Commissioner Ralph Yanora said in a statement. “Affected consumers can and should work with their utility providers to ensure that their family remains connected to essential services.”
Customers that would qualify for LIHEAP are also eligible for other assistance programs, like reduced monthly billing by their utilities, access to hardship funds, and other crisis assistance.
As utility bills have risen over the past year, the latest PUC data shows that utility terminations have as well. They were up 18% during the first nine months of this year, compared with 2024 data for the comparable period.
Pennsylvania was estimating a LIHEAP budget of $219 million for this fiscal year, projecting that would serve 368,000 households with benefits ranging from $200 to $1,000 per customer.
LIHEAP also gives crisis grants of $25 to $1,000 to help people avoid losing heat, buy heating fuel or repair broken heating appliances.
In a statement celebrating the utility’s commitment to avoid shutoffs, Elizabeth Marx, executive director of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project and chair of the LIHEAP advisory committee noted that some low-income households will still remain vulnerable to heat loss.
“It is important to remember that Pennsylvania families who heat with deliverable fuels, like oil and propane, and those served by electric cooperatives or municipal electric utilities remain at risk,” she said in a statement on Wednesday. “We urge all home energy providers to take the similar actions this month to help ensure all Pennsylvanians are safe and warm in their homes this winter.”
The PUC said customers that can’t get relief through their utility can call its Bureau of Consumer Services at 1-800-692-7380 for help or to get more details on available assistance options.
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