With the federal government shutdown threatening SNAP benefits, delayed LIHEAP opening and inflation on the rise, families are facing compounded hardship challenging both food security and access to essential utilities. There’s an often overlooked option available that can help residents stretch their budgets even further: saving money on utility bills.
Pennsylvania American Water’s expanded H2O Help to Others program offers critical support for eligible customers, including nearly 30,000 water and 4,500 wastewater customers in Allegheny County. The program provides monthly bill discounts of 30% to 90% off, annual grants of up to $500 per household and a new arrearage forgiveness program to help reduce past-due balances. Participating customers with a past-due balance can have $25 forgiven each time they make a monthly bill payment in full, plus a $5 co-payment.
Yet fewer than 18% of eligible customers are enrolled in these programs. We urge Pennsylvania American Water customers to check their eligibility and apply. A few minutes could lead to meaningful savings throughout the year.
These programs are administered by Dollar Energy Fund. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for households experiencing hardships by providing utility assistance and other services that lead to self-sufficiency.
We encourage Pennsylvania American Water customers to visit dollarenergy.org or call 888-282-6816 to learn more about this financial assistance program today.
Chad Quinn
South Side
The writer is CEO of Dollar Energy Fund.