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Pennsylvania will again offer free air conditioning units and maintenance to a portion of its population this summer.
Cooling assistance is offered as the Philadelphia region prepares for what is expected to be an abnormally hot summer. Government predictions indicate that 2024 might end up being the warmest year on record.
According to Nic Horting, director of the Center for Residential Reinvestment Programs at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, “the program’s goals are to provide healthy homes for individuals that would not otherwise be able to afford to make those improvements to their home.” Demand is definitely high. It is a requirement.
Using federal funding from the Low Income Home Energy aid Program, or LIHEAP, the state is offering cooling aid for the third summer. Under this program, eligible families in Pennsylvania can receive two Energy Star-rated room air conditioners, one unit with a fan, or the repair or replacement of an existing but broken central air conditioning system or heat pump.
The Pennsylvania program does not cover electricity bill assistance, in contrast to a few other state initiatives.
Over 3,000 window or through-the-wall air conditioners, over 300 fans, over 500 central air conditioning system repairs or replacements, and fifteen heat pump repairs or replacements were provided by Pennsylvania’s program last year, according to the DCED.
The statewide program, which is funded by funds left over from the heating assistance season, has $5.3 million allocated for this summer. Officials say that amount is less than it was the year before and could support roughly 2,400 homes.
How to register
The program is only open to people who were either directly or indirectly assisted by LIHEAP between November of last year and April, or who are now receiving federally funded weatherization assistance.
During the previous heating season, LIHEAP was only available to households earning 150% of the federal poverty threshold, which works out to $21,870 for an individual and $45,000 for a family of four. The income criterion for weatherization assistance is 200% of the federal poverty line, or $29,160 for an individual and $60,000 for a family of four.
If you are a recipient of a LIHEAP crisis grant or weatherization assistance recently, you may receive communication from a local weatherization agency on the summer cooling program.
If you haven’t heard from your local weatherization agency or if you received a LIHEAP cash grant, Horting of DCED suggests getting in touch with them. An online list of agencies is available, organized by the counties they serve.
Horting claims that there isn’t a direct application procedure for the program that provides cooling aid.
In prior years, the participants were required to provide a letter certifying that they were receiving LIHEAP assistance or weatherization.
August 31 is the deadline for the program’s portion that offers window or through-the-wall A/C units and fans.
A need for cooling bill assistance
Even if a home has access to an air conditioner, they may not be able to pay to run one.
Burning air conditioners will raise your rates, therefore Victoria Miles-Chambliss, secretary and treasurer of the nonprofit Empowered CDC in Kingsessing, cautioned against it. After helping people try to utilize the cooling program last summer, she saw this. “It’s like, I either get air conditioning or sweat to death, and I don’t have enough money to get this, that, or medication.”
Certain states, like Delaware, allow LIHEAP funding to be used for summertime electricity expenditures. But as of right now, Pennsylvania’s LIHEAP cooling pilot program only pays for air conditioners and A/C system repairs.
In a survey done last year among more than 100 residents of low-income areas in Philadelphia, the faith-based NGOs Esperanza and Community Legal Services found that just 6% of respondents said their homes lacked air conditioning. But 76% of them struggled to cover their summertime electricity bills.
Co-author of the report Christina Gareis, a former community public health coordinator at Esperanza, said, “You can have the air conditioner, but it won’t really help you when it’s really hot.”
Remarkably, 89% of respondents said they use air conditioning less frequently to save money.
According to Esperanza Ángel Ortiz-Siberón, vice president of research and strategic initiatives, “Most respondents are limiting A/C use so they don’t get a shutoff notice.” “Yet during the summer, a large number of our respondents continued to deal with shut-off notices.”
For the previous few summers, PECO has disconnected the energy of tens of thousands of consumers for nonpayment; the only exception to this has been in 2020, when terminations were halted due to the pandemic.
In the nation, households of color are more likely than white households to experience energy insecurity. Nearly majority of the participants in Esperanza’s study identified as African American or Hispanic/Latinx. Redlined ZIP codes in North and West Philadelphia are home to a large population, at least partially.
“Dr. Jamile Tellez Lieberman, senior vice president of community engagement, research, and health equality at Esperanza, wrote in an email that during days of extreme heat, people should be able to stay cool in their own homes instead of having to go to a cooling center.” “It’s a question of equity and justice, colored by race, even beyond A/Cs.”
Based on input from residents, Community Legal Services and Esperanza proposed that Pennsylvania extend year-round LIHEAP bill assistance to cover both heating and cooling by distributing state monies to supplement federal support.
In the energy unit of Community Legal Services, Joline Price, a supervising attorney, states that “the main obstacle [to cooling] is that there’s not grant assistance available in the summer to the extent that there is assistance available in the winter.” “We would prefer it if individuals could receive grants for both heating and cooling, without having to choose between the two.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, speaking on behalf of the agency that manages LIHEAP bill assistance, said that it is open to exploring the possibility of launching a cooling program in the future.
“We acknowledge that heated summer months can pose a threat to the health of vulnerable Pennsylvanians,” spokesperson Natalie Scott said in an email.
Scott did point out that Pennsylvania would have to take money out of its regular heating bill support program in order to pay for cooling bill assistance. DHS plans to look into the demand and expenses of offering LIHEAP bill help on a yearly basis, though it hasn’t done so yet.
“In order to balance these needs and serve the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens year-round, we intend to collaborate with our advocates and stakeholders to assess the demand and cost of these programs,” stated Scott. “DHS is in favor of expanding LIHEAP or providing more funding to better serve Pennsylvanians during the summer heat.”
Joeal Bright is a committed journalist at WVPrepBB.com, focusing on USA and crime news. With a knack for in-depth reporting and a dedication to delivering accurate and timely information, Joeal keeps readers informed about crucial national events and crime stories. His work on WVPrepBB.com is essential for those seeking comprehensive coverage and insightful analysis of current events in the United States.
