Home efficiency aid

MOSES LAKE — When the wind turns chilly in a few weeks, Basin residents can get a little extra help with their heating, according to an announcement from the Washington State Department of Commerce. 

That assistance is through the State Home Energy Assistance Program, or SHEAP, announced last week by the Commerce Department. The program is administered in Grant and Adams counties by OIC of Washington. 

“The program’s intent is to assist low-income households to meet their immediate home energy needs and provide replacement of inefficient, outdated, or unsafe home heating and cooling systems with more energy-efficient electric heating and cooling technologies, such as heat pumps,” Sy Ruiz, OIC spokesman, wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. 

Statewide, SHEAP will aid more than 1.2 million people, according to Commerce’s announcement. This extends the benefits to substantially more people than the federal Low-Income Heating Energy Assistance Program, which only covers about 500,000 Washingtonians. 

SHEAP is a reflection of Washington’s higher cost of living compared to other states, the Commerce Department wrote. LIHEAP has a maximum income level of about $23,000 per year, for people living anywhere in the state, while SHEAP recognizes that some areas of Washington are more expensive to live in than others. 

“Community needs have only increased,” Commerce Community Services Division Assistant Director Cindy Guertin-Anderson wrote in the announcement. “When families can’t pay their utility bills, there are real health and safety consequences. Maintaining safe living conditions becomes a growing challenge under financial constraints, as families are forced to choose between paying for adequate heating and cooling or other essential expenses. These programs are critical to Washington state’s poverty reduction and economic justice efforts.” 

SHEAP is available to households at 80% or below of the Area Median Income, Ruiz wrote.  

“These households pay a much higher proportion of their incomes for their home heating needs,” Ruiz wrote. “As a result, they are at risk of losing access to heat during cold-weather months.” 

In Grant County, the median household income was $75,586 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 80% of which is $60,468.80. The AMI in Adams County was $63,105 in 2023, which means households earning $50,484 or less may be eligible. Those figures aren’t set in stone, however. 

“Eligibility is based on several factors, including the entire household’s income (except income earned by minors), household size, primary and secondary heat sources, county (service area), energy costs, et cetera,” Ruiz wrote. 

To apply, residents should make an appointment with OIC at 509-955-7100, Ruiz wrote. They’ll need to provide proof of one to three months' income, utility bills or other proof of their heating sources and identify who lives in the household. Once eligibility has been established, it generally takes about two weeks for OIC to send out a benefit letter telling them what they qualify for. 

“Community needs have only increased,” Commerce Community Services Division Assistant Director Cindy Guertin-Anderson wrote in the announcement. “When families can’t pay their utility bills, there are real health and safety consequences. Maintaining safe living conditions becomes a growing challenge under financial constraints, as families are forced to choose between paying for adequate heating and cooling or other essential expenses. These programs are critical to Washington state’s poverty reduction and economic justice efforts.” 

With energy assistance, SHEAP will send payment directly to the utility, Ruiz wrote, which for most residents is Grant County Public Utility District or Avista in Adams County. 

The other aspect of SHEAP, weatherization, is kind of a win-win arrangement, according to the Commerce Department. Upgrading to more efficient heating and cooling systems creates a lower carbon footprint in accordance with policies the state encourages and cuts down on residents’ heating costs, which increase considerably during the Columbia Basin’s chilly winters. 

“SHEAP may also be able to help repair or replace unsafe, dysfunctional, and/or inoperative heating and cooling systems,” Ruiz wrote. “Electrical panel upgrades are allowed. Households who are eligible for SHEAP may also qualify to have their homes made more energy efficient through the Weatherization Program. Renters and homeowners are eligible for this program.” 

It is hoped that the program will create savings for residents and the state by making homes more efficient. 

“This new program enhances the existing relationship between Commerce’s energy bill pay assistance and weatherization programs, providing both immediate assistance and long-term savings in a healthier home,” Commerce Energy Division Assistant Director Michael Furze wrote in the announcement. “Providers will help reduce emissions by replacing older, inefficient heating systems with new, safer, and more energy-efficient systems like heat pumps. They may also identify other energy-saving opportunities in homes. Weatherization preserves housing and makes homes more comfortable.” 

For more information, visit OICofWA.org.