SALT LAKE CITY – October 30, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Home Energy Assistance Target (H.E.A.T.) applications will be accepted beginning November 1, 2012 and continue through the end of April, 2013 or until funds are exhausted, the Housing and Community Development Division announced today.
H.E.A.T. helps eligible families pay for home heating, cooling, and other energy costs, as well as helping to weatherize eligible families’ homes.
“Falling temperatures put even more pressure on families as they weigh the need to turn on their furnaces,” said Housing and Community Development Division director Gordon Walker. “The energy subsidies we are releasing this season will help more families afford heat and avert difficult choices too many Utahns face between paying for heat and paying for other essentials like food and medicine.”
To qualify, a family must earn below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, about $34,572 for a family of four. Priority for H.E.A.T 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 children under six years of age. The average HEAT benefit is a one-time annual payment of $317. Depending on an individual situation, this amount may be higher or lower. Utahns are encouraged to visit our website at www.housing.utah.gov to find their county’s contact information, or to dial 2-1-1.
The H.E.A.T. program is administered by the State Energy Assistance and Lifeline office through a statewide network of local community-based organizations. Last year, the funding enabled the H.E.A.T. program to assist more than 41,500 low-income Utah households with their utility bills. The H.E.A.T. program is Utah’s version of the federal LIHEAP program (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program LIHEAP). It is funded 100 percent by the Federal Government through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Contact:
Shad J. West
shadwest (at) utah (dot) gov
