State To Provide Summer Electricity Funding Assistance

Statement

Today, Governor Chris Sununu and Department of Energy Commissioner Jared Chicoine announced that the state is in the final stages of opening up funding through the New Hampshire Fuel Assistance Program for pre-qualified low-income households this summer for the first time ever as a result of increased energy costs.

"We are allocating $7.5 million in funds to provide low-income families with assistance to help cool their homes this summer," said Governor Chris Sununu. "As a result of unprecedented Washington spending that has unleashed record inflation, uncertainty in the energy market following President Biden's anti-domestic energy policies, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, energy prices are skyrocketing across the country. While there is not much that states can do to rebuff federal inaction, we are doing what we can at the state level to ease the burden on low-income families."

"The Department of Energy is working diligently with stakeholders to provide summer electric bill assistance to currently-eligible LIHEAP customers," said Department of Energy Commissioner Jared Chicoine. "We are hopeful that this assistance will help provide some relief to consumers in these challenging times."

Additional program details will be made available in the coming weeks, including the exact amount of funding available per family. The New Hampshire Fuel Assistance Program provides income-qualifying New Hampshire households with grants to assist with home heating costs. For the first time ever, the state plans to provide LIHEAP funding for summer electricity costs. The benefit amounts for qualifying households are determined based on a wide variety of factors including income, household size, housing type, and fuel type.

The state managed last winter's program efficiently and as a result, has $7.5 million in remaining ARP funds from this past winter's LIHEAP funding to dedicate to this program.

The Fuel Assistance Program is the New Hampshire arm of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that is funded through the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Program serves households making up to 60% of the current State Median Income figure.

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