Almost $1,000 In Heating Bill Help Is Available To New York State

As the temperature continues to drop around New York State, you may find yourself struggling to pay your heating bill. Many families are struggling due to increased food costs and buying presents for the kids for Christmas. There is help available.

The Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as HEAP, opened for the 2022-2023 winter season on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. Low- and middle-income residents and seniors can apply to receive up to $976 in aid. Gov. Hochul said,

We remain committed to ensuring our most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to assistance and programs that will help address rising costs for heating their homes this winter. The Home Energy Assistance Program is a vital lifeline for countless New York families, and I encourage all who are eligible to apply for these benefits which will provide much-needed financial relief.

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The assistance payments are distributed by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. New Yorkers who need help can receive one regular benefit per season. If a household is at risk of losing its heat due to a utility shut-off, it could also be eligible for an emergency benefit. Emergency benefits applications will be accepted starting January 3, 2023.

New York residents outside of the City can apply here. NYC residents can apply here.

Photo by Ernys on Unsplash

Certain Homeowners In New York State Can Get Up To $8,000 To Replace Furnace

Certain homeowners in New York are eligible for up to $8,000 in assistance from the state to repair heating equipment. If your heating equipment needs repair or needs to be replaced, help is available. In addition to getting financial help with paying for heating fuel, New York has funds available for homeowners to maintain heating equipment.

If you are a homeowner and eligible, the Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement benefit can help you repair or replace your furnace, boiler and other direct heating equipment necessary to keep your home's primary heating source working.

Depending on how much the boiler, furnace, or other heating equipment costs, eligible people could receive up to $4,000 for repairs or $8,000 for a replacement. In order to receive funds, an applicant must meet income eligibility. The HEAP Local District Contact also requires an eligibility interview for all HERR applications. HEAP Local District Contacts can be found here.

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Here Are the 10 Snowiest Places in Upstate New York!

This list shows the Top Ten Snowiest Communities in New York State. Some of the numbers these places put up are incredible! The regions stick mainly to the perennially snowiest places we are familiar with such as the North Country, Adirondacks, Western New York, and the Tug Hill Plateau.

There are several online places that list the "snowiest places in New York State." Surprisingly, they all have different rankings and all use different data. So we decided to use the New York State Ski Blog as our source. Thousands of skiers rely on this site for accurate weather conditions around the state. So we did too.

FYI...since the winter of 2022 is definitely not over these statistics are for last year. We have no doubt that the rankings will change next year. I mean, have you seen the photos coming out of western New York recently? WOW!