Human-services workers who help people cope with high heating bills say this winter is looking like the toughest year yet. But while the situation is grim, they say, residents should be aware of some options for help, both short term and long term.
If your household income is low - figure something less than $40,000 a year for a family of four - you may be eligible for a delivery of free fuel oil. Also available are heat audits to test your home's heating efficiency and to recommend improvements to hold down costs.
But no matter what your income, the state's MassSAVE Program offers low-cost loans to replace old and inefficient heating systems, a program that includes an inspection of your current system.
And, at a minimum, it's worth shopping around for your fuel oil purchase.
Although the range between high and low prices has contracted, it's still possible to save around 40 cents a gallon on oil by finding the best bargain.
The fuel assistance program, which is designed to help the poorest residents, is funded mostly by the federal government and is run by 22 regional, nonprofit, and local government organizations across the state.
Last year, the program helped 143,000 households. That number is expected to rise this year.
"It's like we've never seen it before," Beth Ann Strollo, director of Quincy's Community Action Program, said of the pressure on her nonprofit agency's fuel-assistance program. It serves some 3,000 households in Braintree, Milton, Quincy, and Weymouth.
Fuel assistance is granted on a sliding scale. The full benefit goes only to the poorest households, Strollo said. For a family of two, that's $13,690.
"You can imagine what it's like to live on that," Strollo said.
The high prices for oil mean that even for the lowest-income households, government fuel assistance this year is likely to provide little more than one full tank.
Federal funding for fuel assistance is expected to provide a top benefit of $700 per household. The state is kicking in an additional $15 million, which is expected to provide an additional $150 per household, said Joe Diamond, executive director of the Massachusetts Association for Community Action, an alliance of antipoverty programs.
But, with prices where they are, even families that qualify for the maximum grant of $850 will find that it doesn't stretch far.
"The problem is there's little change in federal funding," Diamond said. It has stayed in the $80 million to $100 million range over the last 10 years, he said.
Households with incomes up to twice the poverty level still can qualify for some fuel help, but the more you earn, the less help you get.
(To check whether you're in the ballpark, you can look up the federal poverty standard for your size household on mass.gov/dhcd. The federal poverty figure greatly underestimates the cost of living, advocates note.)
Homeowners not eligible for fuel assistance may be eligible for the state's Heat Loan Program to help to make a residence more heat-efficient and bring down costs. The program provides customers with no-interest and low-interest loans (up to 3 percent) to assist customers with the installation of qualified, energy-efficient improvements.
The improvements eligible for loans include insulation for walls, attics, and basements; more efficient heating systems and hot-water heaters; solar-heated water systems; energy-efficient windows; and thermostats.
To qualify, a homeowner first must receive a Home Energy Assessment, also through the MassSAVE Program (masssave.com). A MassSave representative will assess improvement needs and decide what improvements would be eligible for financing. Further steps include getting proposals from reliable contractors and making a formal application.
Larry Chretien, executive director of Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit that provides discount heating oil to members through bulk buying, is an advocate of investing to keep long-term costs down. "This is not a one-of-a-kind winter," he said.
Oil consumers who put off making improvements pay the cost each year, he said. Chretien encourages consumers to check out the MassSAVE loan program, though he's worried that it might "bottleneck" once cold weather and high prices cause interest to skyrocket.
Chretien's program is available to anyone who wants to sign up.
Another high-profile assistance program is run by Joe Kennedy's Citizens Energy Corp.
Working with the Citgo fuel company, it provides eligible families with one oil delivery of 100 gallons this year. (Families may apply as of Monday through citizensenergy.com.)
Other possible price-protection methods include a yearly budget plan offered by many oil dealers. But those plans start by having customers paying their annual bill in early summer. If you get into a budget plan now, you're squeezing your heat season bill into a much narrower period.
One break oil customers don't receive is the annual state moratorium on natural gas and electricity shutoffs, which went into effect Nov. 15.
Still, Strollo said, some dealers often carry customers who are behind in paying for deliveries through the worst of the winter. Some churches and other charities also provide some help with fuel bills for people in need.
"A lot of people," Strollo said, "are incredibly generous with some of our clients."
Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox@gmail.com.
