Clee Ross still remembers the price of his first car.
“$3,382, for a brand-new, 1973 Oldsmobile ’88 Royale,” Ross said. “Midnight blue, trimmed in light-blue vinyl top.”
But nowadays, the 73-year-old Gary resident said cars can cost what houses used to, and house payments can be as pricey as an energy bill, especially in the winter.
Ross is one of the nearly 3,000 people in Gary who depend on the energy company NIPSCO for heating and gas for their homes. But with lower temperatures come higher rates.
“It’s always been high; it’s like a monopoly,” he said. “We can’t set the prices, but it’s something we have to have.”
In Gary, escalating energy bills can weigh heavily on residents with and without fixed incomes, with many, like Ross, feeling the pinch. In light of this, Capital B Gary spoke with NIPSCO, Indiana’s largest natural gas company and second-largest electric distribution company, to find out more about how residents can receive financial assistance to keep their homes warm and pocketbooks full.
The U.S. Department of Energy found Black, older, and low-income households experience disproportionately higher “energy burdens,” with Black households spending 43% more than non-Black households on home energy bills. Higher energy burdens are defined as spending more than 6% of a household’s income to pay energy bills.
Ross says his utility bills take up about 10-12% of his monthly expenses. Still, he says, the bills are infeasible for many on fixed incomes, especially during the cold winter months.
“In the wintertime, when it’s extremely cold, naturally bills are going to go up,” he said. “I’ve seen them go up to $600, $700 for some people, and for people on a fixed income, that’s a lot. Especially if somebody is only collecting Social Security.”
How can Gary residents lower their energy bills?
The average NIPSCO gas bill rises to about $76 per month in the winter. Meanwhile, electric bills climb to an average of $111 in summer, according to a NIPSCO spokesperson.
To offset some of these costs, NIPSCO offers several energy assistance programs. These include the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Supply Energy Resource for Veterans (SERV), and Seniors in Indiana Low income and Vulnerable Energy Resource (SILVER).
SERV is an assistance program for active military and eligible veteran NIPSCO customers. Nearly 4,000 veterans live in Gary, making up 7.6% of the city’s adult population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Eligibility requires being an active member of the armed forces or an honorably discharged veteran with an active NIPSCO residential gas utility account that is past due.
The SILVER program offers financial aid to customers ages 60 and over with overdue gas bills and household incomes at or below 250% of the federal poverty line.
These programs are open until May 31, 2024, or until funds run out.
NIPSCO’s Hardship, SERV, and SILVER payment assistance programs are all up to $400.
LIHEAP offers a cash grant of up to $400 or more to households falling to or below 60% of the state median income, which, for Indiana, is about $67,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Enrollment in LIHEAP automatically qualifies customers for the CARE discount program, which reduces energy bills by 11% to 26%, based on household income.
NIPSCO’s Hardship program is available for gas customers who have received a disconnection notice and fall between 151% and 250% of the federal poverty level. Many of the resources can be found through local Community Action Agencies where LIHEAP is also found.
NIPSCO also offers payment plan agreements and budgeting resources to help customers manage energy usage and bills.
How long will it take NIPSCO to process an energy assistance application?
The Hardship, SERV and SILVER applications can take up to 35 business days to process. However, there are faster crisis funds available for those who qualify. Customers can check the eligibility for those funds through the Community Action Agencies. Once approved, NIPSCO applies the credit directly to customers’ utility accounts.
Know someone who’s eligible? Spread the word!
To find out if you’re eligible, or know someone who might be, check out NIPSCO’s full list of cost-cutting programs, rebates, and heating tips at https://www.nipsco.com/bills-and-payments/financial-support/income-eligible-assistance-programs