By Stacey Isaac Berahzer and Alanna Kinnebrew

For many low-income families, utility bills can be a major financial burden. Many households have to decide whether their income will allow them to run a fan, run the air conditioning unit, or neither on a hot day. There are energy efficiency resources that can help a household, but affordability of utility bills remains a significant concern, especially in the southeastern United States. This post will highlight some of the existing assistance programs to address energy bills.

As shared in the previous blog post, Energy Burden and Its Drivers, many households in the Southeastern United States have high energy burdens. Fortunately, there are various ways households who are overburdened by energy costs can seek assistance. The programs fall into two main buckets: bill payment assistance programs, and energy efficiency programs. As part of the DeKalb County’s Energy Transition project team, this posts shares resources that Georgia residents can utilize when seeking assistance for energy costs.

 Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federally-funded program that assists qualified households with energy utility bills. It aids in reducing the costs associated with home energy bills through ongoing bill payment assistance, energy crises assistance, long-term weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs. In Georgia, LIHEAP provides income-eligible households an annual financial benefit (up to $400) toward their energy costs. The financial assistance provided is sent directly to the energy company and not the resident, and LIHEAP's budget is only replenished when Congress approves more funding, so money is only available while funds last each year.

The LIHEAP Heating Program typically begins the first workday of November each year for residents aged 65 and older or medically homebound. All other eligible residents may apply for assistance beginning the first workday in December of the same year. The LIHEAP Cooling Program typically begins the first workday of April each year for residents aged 65 and older or medically homebound. All other eligible residents can apply for assistance beginning the first workday in May of the same year.

Energy-Saving Education Programs by Utilities

Local energy companies typically share energy-saving educational materials on their website to assist customers in lowering their energy costs. For example, Georgia Power dedicated web space for residents to understand the “Home Energy Efficiency Programs” that are offered as a way to save energy and money. Some of the programs offered have income eligibility requirements. But, programs such as the Home Energy Improvement Program, are not limited to customers who meet an eligibility threshold. This program involves an energy assessment where Georgia Power will cover 50% of the cost of the assessment, up to $150. Then, the residential customer can decide whether to pursue individual or whole home improvements, based on the assessment results. Georgia Power will provide a certain level of rebates for these improvements. Another program by this utility is the Refrigerator Recycling+, where the utility will pick up a customer’s spare fridge or freezer for free, PLUS any dehumidifiers or room AC units that the customer also wants to recycle. Customers receive a $35 rebate for recycling a fridge/freezer. The website also includes other tips to upgrade appliances and light fixtures to energy inefficient ones. Another non-income related program is Temp Check (TEMP✓™). This program had a lot of interest and reached its enrollment limit for the current year, but interested customers are invited to check back later.

Income-qualified programs include GA Power’s Energy Assistance for Savings & Efficiency (EASE) program. With EASE, the household income needs to be 200% or less of the U.S. Federal Poverty guidelines. There is some flexibility based on the size of the household. Members of the community can also contribute funds to help their neighbors through EASE.

Other electricity utilities serving DeKalb County also provide incentives, such as the energy efficiency rebates provided by the Snapping Shoals EMC.

There are also programs to specifically assist senior citizens, though they must meet an income-threshold too. The Income-Qualified Senior Citizen Discount offered by Georgia Power is for customers 65 years of age or older with a combined income of 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or less. Likewise, the HopeWorks program provides energy efficiency improvements to income-qualified homeowners who are 60 years of age or older.

Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) reduces energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. DOE provides grants to states, territories, and some Indian tribes and these governments in turn work with local governments and nonprofit agencies to provide weatherization services to those in need. WAP differs from what is referred to as “weatherizing your home” because it uses the “Whole House Weatherization” approach. This process analyzes all the building’s systems as a single energy-consuming system, rather than a loose collection of unrelated pieces of equipment via an energy audit. These conservation measures result in energy and cost savings. Single-family homes, multifamily buildings, and mobile homes are eligible.

More information about some of these programs is also available here.

How to Plug into these Assistance Programs

Community action agencies (CAAs) provide the LIHEAP and WAP services to eligible, low-income households throughout the state of Georgia. Each county has a local CAA that is responsible for determining eligibility for the program. The agency contact information list can be found here in order to apply for weatherization services: Find a Weatherization Agency (georgia.gov). For residents of Dekalb County seeking energy assistance, the local CAA is the Partnership for Community Action, Inc. and you can access their utility assistance page directly here: Energy Assistance Heating.

A household must meet certain eligibility criteria to participate in these programs. Under DOE guidelines, households at or below 200% of the poverty income guidelines are considered eligible for weatherization services. In addition, any family who’s received assistance at any time during the preceding 12 months—under the Supplemental Income (SSI), or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)—are automatically eligible for weatherization services.

Apart from the eligibility requirements, another limitation of these programs is that at different times of year, the program may run out of funds. For example, at the time of the publishing of this post (10/30/2023), the website for Partnership for Community Action says “Attention: this program is currently closed. Appointments are expected to open in December 2023.”

Stay Tuned

On the Georgia Power utility side, expansions of some of these programs may be coming soon, partly based on recent rate case results and negotiations.

This post focused on low-income households. It also focused on energy efficiency. Upcoming posts will focus on renewable energy options, especially for those customers who do not meet the income eligibility thresholds for some of the programs described here.

This blog post is part of the community engagement associated with the County’s “Clean Energy Transition” project. 

This is part of a series on energy actions. Read the other blog posts here: 

Energy Burden and Its Drivers 

Local Committees/Cohorts: Amplifying Voices for Climate Action

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