• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Human Interest / Cooling costs could add to the tab of unpaid utility bills

Cooling costs could add to the tab of unpaid utility bills

July 9, 2012 By Radio Iowa Contributor

The state program that helped more than 90,000 Iowa homeowners pay their heating bills last winter is now helping many of those same families stay cool in the blistering heat of summer. Jerry McKim, director of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, says the latest figures show Iowa utilities are owed almost $23-million dollars for unpaid power bills.

“Definitely, there are folks struggling coming out of the winter,” McKim says, “trying to stay cool when it’s 100-degrees out isn’t going to help their situation any.” He says minimal help is available for people having trouble paying their summer power bills, but some may be able to get funds for air conditioners if they’re deemed medically necessary.

“There is a small component of our program that will pay up to $300 for a window air conditioner but that’s only if the agency still has those funds available,” he says. Many community action agencies around Iowa have already spent those funds.

He says some struggling families will end up going into the winter owing even more to the power companies due to high summer cooling costs.

By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Human Interest, News, Weather Tagged With: Utilities

Featured Stories

Senator Ernst says Russian ban shows she’s doing something right

Bill creates new deer hunting season, with AR-15s

Governor signs Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard into law

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

A haboob, a dust storm black out, hits northwest Iowa

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Huckstorf garners national award

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC