Harris will announce more than $13 billion in aid to help reduce winter energy expenses
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Vice President Kamala Harris will announce new initiatives taken by the Biden administration to assist Americans save money on energy this winter on Wednesday.
Vice President Kamala Harris will announce new initiatives taken by the Biden administration to assist Americans to save money on energy this winter on Wednesday.
According to the White House, the US Department of Health and Human Services would provide $4.5 billion in aid to help reduce heating expenses for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
“In addition to paying home heating costs this winter and outstanding utility bills, the program will assist families in making cost-effective home energy renovations to cut their heating and cooling rates,” according to a statement from the White House.
According to the White House, LIHEAP has helped 5.3 million homes in the United States with heating, cooling, and weatherization in the last year.
The US Department of Energy will also spend $9 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to assist up to 1.6 million households countrywide in improving their houses to reduce energy bills. According to the White House, this will be divided into two refund programs: one for whole-house energy efficiency retrofits and another for highly efficient and electric home appliances.
According to the White House, Harris will address the measures when visiting a union hall and training center in Boston on Wednesday.
MORE: Higher heating expenditures are likely this winter due to energy market turmoil: Report
According to a recent analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly half of U.S. households rely on natural gas for heating, and their bills could jump 28% this winter compared to last winter, while bills for heating oil are projected to be 27% higher and electricity 10% higher.
According to a recent assessment by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents LIHEAP state directors, energy expenses are likely to be the highest this winter in more than a decade. This comes amid surging inflation rates, with consumer prices in the United States rising to a 40-year high of 6.6% in September.
A number of reasons have contributed, including a comeback in global energy use following the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, which has caused price hikes, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has increased costs and reduced supplies.
Hospitalizations in New York City are on the rise as new COVID strains spread rapidly.
