As the weather turns cooler, officials warn it’ll cost more to keep the heat on this year.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates that customers who use home heating oil will see prices increase by 30% this winter. Electric heat costs are projected to rise 9%, and natural gas heating costs are expected to rise 6%.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3) blames President Donald Trump and the war in Iran for the higher prices.
“The Strait [of Hormuz] is producing maybe 2 million gallons a day when they used to be dealing with 7 or 8 million gallons,” DeLauro said. “So they've got a shortage.”
Trump has downplayed the higher costs, saying last week they are worth it to make sure Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon.
“It’s a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done,” Trump said in North Carolina. “Remember that.”
As prices rise, the future of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep the heat on, is rocky. Trump has proposed ending it several times; Congress ultimately did not go through with it this year.
The program serves nearly 6 million households nationwide, including more than 90,000 in Connecticut. An additional 10,000 CT households are expected to benefit this winter.
Federal block grants fund it largely, and states administer it. In Connecticut, community action agencies oversee the program.
“Our LIHEAP allocation plan predicts that we will have about 94,291 eligible households, and this means that we think there will be about a 3% growth over the average number of households from 2024 to 2026,” state Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said.
To qualify for the program, households must have a gross annual income below 60% of the state median income. For a two-person household, that’s $63,703 annually. For a four-member household, that’s $93,681 a year.
More than 8,000 people have already applied for benefits.
“The demand is great because we know that no one wants to be cold,” Barton Reeves said.
To see if you are eligible and to apply, go here.
