Several Oregon electric bill assistance programs provide emergency and/or ongoing help with power bills. These are designed to help lower income households deal with financial difficulties that often lead to disconnection of service.
One type of service provides ongoing help to applicants who are unable to afford rapidly increasing utility bills. When you qualify for ongoing assistance, energy credits are applied to your electricity account which are then used by the utility company to reduce each electric bill by a certain amount.
The other service is geared more for temporary hardship, such as when a household experiences a financial emergency. The goal is to allow you to avoid a disconnection so long as you are able to resume your regular electricity bill payments the following month. Both of these programs are administered by your local human services organization or community action agency as a part of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). To qualify, your household income must be no greater than 60% of Oregon median income, which is tiered based on the size of your family. Call 1-800-453-5511 to be matched to your local program.
Oregon HEAT is one of the many programs that you may also qualify for. You will be screened similarly to the LIHEAP program after calling your local human services/community action agency. For more information, visit oregonheat.org.
Your utility company also has a program that provides electric bill assistance in the form of partial or full bill payment. Each program has different criteria, and some are provided in partnership with a local charity.
Programs vary from the City of Ashland’s Heat and Roundup program (one-time bill credit of up to $160) to the Eugene Water and Electric Board program (up to $200 in electric bill assistance each year). Contact your local utility company to request information on low income heat assistance services. They will explain their eligibility requirements and can help with the application process. To be prescreened for benefits, visit oregonhelps.org.
Keep your heat and lights on by taking advantage of the benefits offered through these Oregon electric bill assistance programs. You just might cut out a big chunk of your monthly expenses!
Long is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Industrial Relations. He subsequently received his Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. His Certificate in Financial Planning was issued by Florida State University.
Long has achieved the Accredited Credit Counselor and Accredited Financial Counselor certifications through the Association for Financial Counseling, Planning and Education. Long originally achieved the Certified Credit Counselor designation through the National Institute for Financial Education.
In addition to years of nonprofit leadership, Long has been an innovator in the field of volunteer tax return preparation programs. He assists volunteer associations and nonprofit organizations who seek to integrate credit counseling and asset-building programs with free personal income tax preparation. His approach to using free credit reports as both an incentive and a screening tool for placement into asset-building programs has been shared with members of the National Community Tax Coalition, the EITC-Carolinas Initiative of MDC, Inc. and nonprofit groups across the Carolinas.
Long assists members of our armed forces in the Carolinas, Iowa, Rhode Island, Georgia and Germany with financial readiness. Please support our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors!
Favorite quote:
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Thomas Jefferson
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