Butler County residents seeking increased energy assistance in wake of rising costs
A growing number of Butler County residents are turning to emergency utility assistance this winter as household energy costs continue to rise.
Dollar Energy Fund, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that partners with utility providers to help customers cover overdue gas and electric bills, reported that it has sent $2.5 million to 6,100 Pennsylvania households since October, a 131% increase over the same time span last year.
The organization reported that assistance awards in Butler County have increased significantly over last winter, climbing from 40 households to 177 this season. Together with neighboring Westmoreland and Armstrong counties, the region has received nearly $200,000 in grants.
Meanwhile, 2,300 households in Allegheny County have received more than $1 million through late December.
A spokesperson for Peoples Gas, which works closely with Dollar Energy Fund, said residents should reach out when in need.
“We certainly encourage that to be one of the first steps that a customer that’s feeling the pinch and needs assistance takes,” said Nick Paradise, Peoples Gas external communications manager. “In addition to Dollar Energy Fund, we have customer assistance programs and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.”
Nationally, heating costs for households relying on natural gas and electric service have steadily risen since last winter, and state data shows Pennsylvania electric bills are up 13% from last year alone.
This winter’s increase in applications also follows a delayed rollout of the federal LIHEAP program, which normally opens in November but started several weeks later due to last year’s extended government shutdown.
“We did see a big jump in assistance coming through the Dollar Energy Fund in November,” Paradise said. “It was smaller in October, but we think the increase in November was primarily because the LIHEAP program opened later.”
