Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Open for 2010-11 Heating Season

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Nov. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Electric Utilities advises customers who need help paying their utility bills to check for their eligibility for cash grants under the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The state Department of Public Welfare, the administrator of LIHEAP in Pennsylvania, began accepting grant applications this week. The grants will help eligible homeowners and renters pay for home heating this winter. A companion program offers crisis grants to help with heating emergencies or fuel shortages.

Both programs are open for applications until March 31 or until funding runs out.

About 38,000 PPL Electric Utilities customers received $13.8 million in LIHEAP grants for last winter. Across the state, the program assisted 547,000 households during the 2009-10 LIHEAP season, and more than 200,000 received crisis assistance.

Income guidelines for 2010-11 are listed below.

"You don't have to have an unpaid bill to qualify, and you don't need to be receiving public assistance," said Timothy R. Dahl, manager of Regulatory Programs and Business Services for PPL Electric Utilities. "However, you must meet the income guidelines."

PPL Electric Utilities uses a variety of outreach methods to make customers aware of LIHEAP, including letters, an outbound calling campaign, bill inserts, referrals by customer service representatives and the company website.

In addition, the company sends LIHEAP applications to customers and refers them to the Department of Public Welfare website where they can print out the LIHEAP application.

The company's efforts when it comes to customers in need of assistance don't stop with LIHEAP. "We offer a number of programs that help customers who may be struggling with their bills," Dahl said. "We want customers to be aware of these options, and we're here to help."

To find out more about assistance offered through PPL Electric Utilities, visit www.pplelectric.com, then click on Quick Links and "Need Help Paying Your Bill."

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.

SOURCE PPL Electric Utilities