JACKSON (WKZO AM/FM) –The last few nights have been some of the coldest in decades in West Michigan and furnaces have been working overtime to keep homes nice and warm.
That drives up heating bills. For folks with low and fixed incomes, it can be a budget buster when they see the financial impact of all those bitterly cold nights.
Assistance is available according to Roger Morgenstern at Consumers Energy. He says the place to start is to dial 211 and ask for help.
They will be able to connect customers with local charities that have received millions in heating grants state wide from Federal and State sources.
He says their utility also can negotiate to avoid shut-offs, which is the goal of most of these programs, to avoid leaving people in the cold. But you have to make the call and ask for help.
