HARTFORD — More people are having difficulty paying their fuel bills during the pandemic, according to Operation Fuel, which has urged state residents to apply for financial assistance.
The organization, which provides help with electricity, water, natural gas, oil, and other energy bills to residents across the state, said it has seen a 20% increase in requests for help with those costs.
“Even though utility shutoff protections are in place for now, the unpaid bills continue to stack up and these high balances aren’t going away,” said Brenda Watson, executive director of Operation Fuel.
A shutoff moratorium instituted early in the COVID-19 pandemic ended in October, according to the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. PURA urged energy customers to ask their utility companies if they qualify for hardship status, which would extend the moratorium to May 1 for those eligible.
However, there is a usual winter moratorium that prevents qualified households from having their electricity and gas shut off.
Before the pandemic, the United Way found that more than 400,000 low- and moderate-income Connecticut families were at risk of not being able to pay their utility bills. After COVID-19 struck, Operation Fuel officials said residents who have never needed emergency energy assistance before are now seeking help.
To seek help with utility bills, visit operationfuel.org/gethelp. To donate, visit operationfuel.org/give or text OPFUEL to 44321.
For information on fuel assistance, call the United Way’s statewide 211 helpline.
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December 29, 2020 at 07:10PM
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Organization urges residents to apply for fuel assistance - Waterbury Republican American
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