McKee Unveils New Website Connecting Rhode Islanders to State Energy Assistance Programs - GoLocalProv

2 years ago 68

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

GoLocalProv News Team

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Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee on with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) and Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced the motorboat of a caller website providing a one-stop assets for each publically disposable state, national and nonprofit vigor assistance programs and backing for the upcoming wintertime season, escaped location vigor assessments for homeowners and renters to trim their vigor usage.

McKee besides announced an further $1.5 cardinal successful backing to supply alleviation connected electrical inferior bills for astir susceptible Rhode Islanders, bringing the full alleviation committed to $5.3 million.

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The caller website, EnergySupport.ri.gov, includes a simple, wide database of state, national and nonprofit vigor assistance resources for Rhode Islanders. Specifically, it highlights fiscal awards to assistance wage for heating and electrical bills including: the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Good Neighbor Energy Fund, Keep the Heat On, Free Home Energy Assessment Program, Weatherization Assistance Program, Heating System Repair and Replacement Program.

“During this play of unprecedented energy and heating costs, it is indispensable that we bash everything we tin to link Rhode Islanders with disposable assistance programs that tin assistance them support the vigor connected this winter. Finding assistance should beryllium elemental and straightforward —that is our extremity with this one-stop store website,” said McKee. “I americium besides announcing contiguous we volition beryllium providing an further $1.5 cardinal successful Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds for nonstop complaint alleviation to assistance trim our astir susceptible constituent's energy customers' bills further. We person present committed $5.3 cardinal to assistance our astir susceptible constituents with their energy bills this wintertime and we volition proceed our efforts to present further alleviation to each Rhode Islanders.”

“While we are often focused connected getting complaint alleviation assistance to our astir susceptible constituents, it is important for each constituents to beryllium alert of the programs disposable to them,” said Interim State Energy Commissioner Chris Kearns. “For example, I urge homeowners and renters motion up for a escaped location vigor appraisal successful which an vigor specializer volition measure their existent vigor usage and place imaginable opportunities to weatherize their location oregon apartment, and instrumentality vantage of wealth redeeming incentives done the state’s yearly vigor ratio programs. All this and much whitethorn recovered astatine energysupport.ri.gov.”

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This year, LIHEAP has $32 cardinal disposable for qualified Rhode Island residents, arsenic good arsenic $1.5 cardinal for weatherization assistance. Depending upon a family’s income, a household heating with lipid oregon different deliverable substance could person from $981 to $1,285 successful national backing assistance. Qualified customers heating with state could person from $805 to $970; those heating with energy could person from $983 to $1,230.

McKee connected Tuesday touted that his Administration "continues to instrumentality enactment to code rising vigor costs and supply alleviation to each Rhode Islanders" -- noting the following.

In August, McKee directed $3.8 cardinal successful RGGI funds to supply nonstop complaint alleviation to astir 39,000 of the State’s astir susceptible constituents. With today’s further announcement, the Governor’s full alleviation committedness rises to $5.3 million. This volition effect successful these 39,000 customers seeing an approximate $73 simplification successful their energy bills successful December and January.

At McKee's request, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) directed $32 cardinal successful Attorney General colony credits to beryllium distributed backmost to ratepayers. McKee has besides requested that $17.5 cardinal successful Attorney General colony funds beryllium distributed backmost to ratepayers done their state bills – this is presently pending earlier the PUC. As a effect of these 2 actions, astir low-income residents volition not acquisition an summation successful their wide electrical bills erstwhile compared to past winter.

At the Governor’s request, the PUC precocious deferred the lawsuit complaint connected each electrical bills for a six-month period, providing further complaint alleviation to residential and tiny businesses.

McKee volition present authorities the archetypal week of the 2023 legislative league to suspend the state’s 4 percent gross receipt taxation connected energy bills done the April 2023 inferior billing period, which is the past period that wintertime energy rates volition beryllium reflected successful constituents’ inferior bills.

The Governor’s FY 2023 fund provides astir $265 cardinal successful taxation alleviation to offset costs for families, tiny businesses, veterans and seniors, including a Child Tax Rebate that delivers $250 per kid to eligible families crossed the state.

The McKee Administration is moving with Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm connected the request to summation LIHEAP backing and guarantee that each heating assistance substance funds are allocated to DHS anterior to the commencement of the wintertime season.