SALT LAKE CITY, UT – June 24, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The Utah Division of Housing and Community Development announced today that Utah will extend the Home Energy Assistance Target Program (HEAT) application deadline until September 30, 2010 or until all funds are expended. Utah has received approximately $25.4 million in HEAT funds to assist eligible low-income households in meeting their immediate home heating and cooling needs in 2009-2010 heating season.
“High utility bills overwhelm low-income households as they pay a higher share of their income for home energy than other households,” said Utah Division of Housing and Community Development director Gordon Walker. “These funds will help us reduce this burden for thousands of hard-working low-income households across the State.”
The HEAT program is administered by the State Energy Assistance and Lifeline office through a statewide network of local community-based organizations. The funding has enabled the HEAT program to assist approximately 47,479 low-income Utah households with their utility bills.
“Extending our application deadline will allow us to help another 2,700 households statewide,” said State Energy Assistance and Lifeline manager Sherman Roquiero. The average benefit amount is around $505 per household per year.
The HEAT program helps households with incomes at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level pay their utility bills and respond to energy-related crises, as well as provide no-cost weatherization services such as attic insulation, weather-stripping, and minor housing repairs. That equates to an income of $2,757 a month for a family of four.
Priority for HEAT assistance is given to households with the highest energy burden in relationship to household income while taking into consideration vulnerable populations such as the elderly, disabled and families with young children.
Utah’s State Energy Assistance and Lifeline Office is managed by the Utah Division of Housing and Community Development under the Utah Department of Community and Culture.
