For PGW customers a single text can mean warmth without the worry all winter long.
Families in Philadelphia deserve to be warm in winter. That’s why Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) is urging customers to apply for free LIHEAP grants that can help with heating expenses. LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is a federal grant that helps low-income households pay their winter heating bills. Grants range from $200 to $1,000, are based on a customer’s income and household size, and do not have to be repaid.
In Philadelphia, where almost one in three households qualify as low-income, 85 percent of the city’s homes use natural gas for heating.
That means as many as 150,000 PGW residential customers could be eligible for LIHEAP. These are households where paying for heat in winter accounts for a much bigger portion of total income, often leaving little money for other necessities.
“LIHEAP exists to help low-income residents who struggle to pay for vital warmth in the winter,” said Barry O’Sullivan, director of corporate communications at PGW. “These no-strings grants mean that people may not have to choose between warmth and other needs. And with our texting program it’s easy for people to see if they’re eligible and to apply: they just text FAST to 75308.”
Unfortunately, since LIHEAP funds are limited, and its first come, first served tens of thousands of Philadelphians who are eligible miss out. PGW urges customers to use its texting service to see if they qualify, and to apply early if they are eligible. To apply, customers can:
- Text FAST to 75308.
- Call (215) 235-1000 and ask to have an application mailed to them.
- Visit one of PGW’s six Customer Service Centers.
- Print an application (in English or Spanish) from www.pgworks.com/liheap
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