Utility bills – especially in the winter when heating costs climb – add a tremendous expense for many San Luis Valley residents. Because the utility is community owned and run, it works hard to make electricity and heat affordable to everyone.
Unfortunately, resources can be limited. But the San Luis Valley Electric Co-Op participates in two programs designed to make paying the utility bill easier for residents in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties.
LEAP
The first is the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program through the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services. Applications for the program are accepted between November 1 and April 30.
The program helps residents pay part of their utility bills based on their economic needs.
To be eligible for LEAP, you must make 150 percent of the federal poverty index or less. That’s $1,459 a month for an individual or $2,982 for a family of four.
The program is specifically designed to offset the expense of heating a home during the cold winter months so that families can stay warm and safe without worry they won’t be able to afford the bill.
ERC
The other program offered through the San Luis Valley Electric Co-Op is not new, but does have a new administrator. The Energy Resource Center took over for the SLVREC Energy Foundation in early 2014 to provide free home energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified families.
The Energy Resource Center begins its work by performing a free home energy audit to evaluate your home’s needs.
From there, skilled technicians make permanent efficiency upgrades, which can include new insulation, patching holes in exterior walls, insulating pipes, upgrading lighting and making other significant investments that will permanently reduce your utility bills and make your home safer and more comfortable.
If you qualify for LEAP, you will automatically qualify for assistance from the ERC. But the Energy Resource Center can also help renters and homeowners who make more money than LEAP requirements allow.
Contact the Energy Resource Center to find out if you qualify and to schedule a home energy audit.
