BGE expo helps strapped ratepayers get aid

About 100 residents from southern Anne Arundel County turned to Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. Friday looking for help with their energy bills as the cold weather settles into the region.

BGE had conducted an energy-assistance expo to offer grants to limited-income customers as they struggle to cope with a tough economic landscape. And officials have an unprecedented amount of help to dole out through various state and federal programs.

The expo was held at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Edgewater. Eligible attendees filled out applications with the Office of Home Energy Programs, a year-round program through the Maryland Department of Human Resources that helps people pay utility bills, minimize heating crises and make energy more affordable.

Erica Matthews, the director of energy programs at Community Action Partnership, said the mission of the event was to inform the public of three different types of grants available through home-energy programs, as well as a statewide private program called the Fuel Fund of Maryland and Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance opportunities.

BGE also offers funding to agencies in its coverage area through the BGE Community Assistance Fund.

Ms. Matthews said there is a higher demand for help now than she's seen in many years.

"We're seeing very high bills," she said. "Our highest was just recently at $10,000."

The household that racked up $10,000 in back payments had a family member with an illness, Ms. Matthews said, so they avoided a power turn-off from BGE because medical equipment was present in the home and laws prohibit utility companies from turning off power when life-support machines are involved.

Ms. Matthews said this year her applicants for assistance have inundated her office. She said the community partnership has received about 5,800 applications in the past year, which is a significant increase from the usual 3,000 applications per year her office is accustomed to handling.

Fuel Fund applications went up to 860 in the last year, she said, up from about 200 to 250 that is typical in most normal years.

"People are in dire need of everything that we have right now," she said.

But despite the increased numbers of people looking for energy assistance, funding is not running short, Ms. Matthews said. Last month, Congress doubled its funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. That program is federal money that is distributed to states as a block grant and then allocated under the state programs and county-level agencies like the Community Action Partnership.

Under the legislation that increased the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding, states could increase their maximum income eligibility to 75 percent of the state's median income. Previously, the maximum was either 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines or 60 percent of the state median income, whichever amount were greater.

Maryland received $101.1 million for the program for fiscal 2009. In fiscal 2008, Maryland received just $36 million.

Don Dasher, BGE director of community relations and outreach, said the large increase is essentially a "mandate to spend it."

"We just want people to please make yourselves available to this kind of assistance," he said. "It's an unprecedented amount of funding."

For this year, a household of four can earn up to $3,091.65 per month and still receive Office of Home Energy Programs energy assistance. Last year, the maximum for a family of four was $3,011.46 per month.

According to BGE data, 200,000 of its customers qualify as limited-income, yet only 50,000 of those customers apply for the home-energy programs assistance.

Virginia Abell, an Edgewater resident, said she heard about the expo through Our Lady's church bulletin.

"I don't know if they can help me, but they seemed to think so," Mrs. Abell said after a consultation with a CAP adviser. She had applications in her hand that she said she planned on taking home to fill out.

She said her bills have been going up, and she's concerned about how much higher they'll soar as the weather gets colder. Last month, her energy bill was $281, she said.

Mrs. Abell is a senior and said she lives on a fixed income provided by Social Security. With what she owes in insurance, medicines and doctor bills, she said her budget is tight enough as it is.

"I think this economy is rotten," she said.

But even though she probably qualifies for energy assistance, Mrs. Abell said she counts herself among the fortunate.

"I mean my situation is bad, but I just think of all the poor people out there. At least I don't have to get groceries," she said while glancing over at the door where the church's food pantry was located.

Eric Sendaydiego also was at the expo Friday. Because he lost his accounting job the previous week, he said he decided to get some information about assistance options.

"I'm just trying to keep the wolves at the door," he said.

Mr. Sendaydiego has a family of five in Edgewater, and he's his family's sole source of income, he said.

Though he learned during his consultation that he would have to be unemployed for 30 days to be applicable for some assistance, BGE granted him an extension of 55 days on his bills.

His most recent bill was $500 for electric and $300 for propane heat, he said.

Mr. Sendaydiego has some job interviews already lined up for next week, he said, but he's looking for all the information he can get so he doesn't find himself in a crisis situation.

"It was tight before, but it's really tight now," he said.

Just as Mr. Sendaydiego has done, Mr. Dasher advises all ratepayers who are concerned about getting behind in their bills to contact BGE before it comes down to a power turn-off.

"We urge people to contact us as soon as possible, before they're in a crisis," Mr. Dasher said.