Credit Corner
Keep Your Family Warm this Winter
With the winter season approaching, now’s the time to prepare your home and your budget for cold weather. Heating costs have skyrocketed within the past couple of years, and a high gas or electric bill can hurt any family’s finances. Take steps to prepare your home for winter and/or to apply for assistance from your utility company or from LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). Here are some measures to help save home energy:
• Insulate your home by caulking around windows and doors. Seal any wall cracks with spackle.
• Purchase a programmable thermostat.
• Insulate both your hot water heater and pipes.
• Have your furnace serviced once a year, and change your furnace filter every month.
• Close the door of any room that you don’t use.
• Never use an oven to heat a room.
The State of Illinois assists households that meet its qualifications with insulation installation and home inspections. To find out more about this program, call (847) 249-4330 or visit www.weatherizationillinois.com.
Winter heating costs can hurt a family’s budget, but there are programs available to help minimize the impact. AmerenCILCO offers a Budget Billing program. To contact AmerenCILCO, call 672-5252. Nicor offers a budget plan, payment arrangements (if you’ve fallen behind on payments), and assistance to military families. It also offers a Sharing the Warmth program, in which a customer could receive a one-time grant. To qualify for Sharing the Warmth program, Nicor must be your gas supplier, you must be unable to qualify for LIHEAP, and you must meet the income qualifications. To contact Nicor about its assistance programs, call (888) 642-6748.
LIHEAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Human Services. It offers a one-time emergency assistance to an eligible person or family; qualifications are based on income. The application for enrollment for LIHEAP begins November 1, and the program runs through May 31. If you’re 60 years of age or older or disabled, the application for enrollment begins September 1 and the program runs through May 31. Once you’ve applied, you’ll receive notification within 30 days with the amount of assistance for which you’re eligible. Your utility company will be notified of your enrollment, and payments will be made to the utility company for you. To apply, contact LIHEAP at (800) 252-8643 or visit www.liheapillinois.com. In Peoria County, you may contact the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc., at 671-3900 for more information. Senior citizens may also call the Illinois Department on Aging at (800) 252-8966 for more information on LIHEAP. The Illinois Department on Aging also offers many other programs to help seniors on a fixed income.
Don’t let high energy bills have disastrous effects on your family’s budget. Knowing your options can make a big difference in savings. tpw
• Insulate your home by caulking around windows and doors. Seal any wall cracks with spackle.
• Purchase a programmable thermostat.
• Insulate both your hot water heater and pipes.
• Have your furnace serviced once a year, and change your furnace filter every month.
• Close the door of any room that you don’t use.
• Never use an oven to heat a room.
The State of Illinois assists households that meet its qualifications with insulation installation and home inspections. To find out more about this program, call (847) 249-4330 or visit www.weatherizationillinois.com.
Winter heating costs can hurt a family’s budget, but there are programs available to help minimize the impact. AmerenCILCO offers a Budget Billing program. To contact AmerenCILCO, call 672-5252. Nicor offers a budget plan, payment arrangements (if you’ve fallen behind on payments), and assistance to military families. It also offers a Sharing the Warmth program, in which a customer could receive a one-time grant. To qualify for Sharing the Warmth program, Nicor must be your gas supplier, you must be unable to qualify for LIHEAP, and you must meet the income qualifications. To contact Nicor about its assistance programs, call (888) 642-6748.
LIHEAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Human Services. It offers a one-time emergency assistance to an eligible person or family; qualifications are based on income. The application for enrollment for LIHEAP begins November 1, and the program runs through May 31. If you’re 60 years of age or older or disabled, the application for enrollment begins September 1 and the program runs through May 31. Once you’ve applied, you’ll receive notification within 30 days with the amount of assistance for which you’re eligible. Your utility company will be notified of your enrollment, and payments will be made to the utility company for you. To apply, contact LIHEAP at (800) 252-8643 or visit www.liheapillinois.com. In Peoria County, you may contact the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc., at 671-3900 for more information. Senior citizens may also call the Illinois Department on Aging at (800) 252-8966 for more information on LIHEAP. The Illinois Department on Aging also offers many other programs to help seniors on a fixed income.
Don’t let high energy bills have disastrous effects on your family’s budget. Knowing your options can make a big difference in savings. tpw