HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont is reminding Connecticut residents who need help paying last winter’s home heating bills that there is still time to apply to the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP). An extended application deadline of Monday, June 1, 2020, gives eligible families and individuals – including those impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency – more time to apply for this vital assistance.

“Even though we are well into spring, we want to remind everyone that there’s still time to apply for assistance to pay for your home heating bills for the last winter season,” Governor Lamont said. “I want to thank the Department of Social Services and the dedicated staff of Connecticut’s community action agencies and partners for their work on behalf of so many children, families, older and other adults who need assistance.”

“CEAP is an important public-private partnership that safeguards tens of thousands of vulnerable Connecticut households from the cold each year,” Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford said. “It also helps residents who are behind on their utility heating bills and may be at risk of a shutoff at some point.”

Connecticut residents are welcome to apply, regardless of whether their home is heated through electricity, natural gas, or a deliverable fuel. If the household’s primary heat source is electricity or natural gas, the basis benefit award is sent directly to the utility company. If a household’s primary heat source is a deliverable fuel (oil, kerosene, propane or coal), a retroactive payment or credit to their fuel vendor for deliveries made between November 13, 2019, and April 30, 2020, may be possible up to the amount of their basic benefit award.

Home heating benefits are available for households with incomes up to 60 percent of the state median income (currently $36,171 for a single person and $69,559 for a household of four). A liquid asset eligibility check also applies. Payments are issued directly to fuel vendors and utility companies on behalf of eligible households.

The program is administered by the Department of Social Services through nonprofit community action agencies, which coordinate application and eligibility determination statewide. Over 87,300 applications for energy aid have been received so far this program year, with over 72,000 households approved for basic benefits of up to $725. Funding for CEAP comes from the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Emergency funding is also available to repair or replace unsafe or inoperable heating systems for single-family, owner-occupied homes with incomes up to 60 percent of the state median income. A heating system must be deemed as unsafe or inoperable by a licensed heating vendor to be considered.

Applicants should contact the community action agency serving their region, or partnering intake sites around the state. To find the nearest application site, people should call 2-1-1 or visit www.ct.gov/staywarm

. In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, households will also be advised how to complete applications remotely through a mail-in process or over the phone.

The state’s community action agencies are:

Community Action Agency of New Haven, Inc.

·       New Haven area: 203-387-7700

TEAM, Inc.

·       Derby/Ansonia area: 203-736-5420

Alliance for Community Empowerment (formerly ABCD)

·       Bridgeport area: 203-384-6904

·       Norwalk area: 203-384-6904 ext. 3027

This press release is made possible by: