Baby, it's cold outside! It's just a glimpse of what's to come this winter. Hopefully, we will have another mild winter and our heating bills won't be too high. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have the money to pay our utility bills can sit in our warm homes and watch the temperature fall. But there are many in our community who have to struggle to make ends meet and cold weather means higher utility bills.

There is assistance available for those high heating utility bills for families who are income eligible. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is available to help lover-income families pay for winter heating costs. Those who qualify will receive a one-time credit of 10-40% of their winter heating bill. This credit is available only for heating bills, not your light bill or your water bill. Eligibility is based on income and household size. A household of 1 person can earn up to $3,223 in the last 3 months and be eligible. Likewise, a household of 2 can earn up to $4,478 in the last 3 months and be eligible. For larger households, just add $1,155 for each additional member. Applications are taken from September 1, 2002 through March 31, 2003. You can get an application for HEAP at most banks, libraries, post offices, the Salvation Army or by calling the Ohio Consumer's Counsel at 1-877-742-5622.

Another program available is the Emergency HEAP (E-HEAP) program. For this you must have a heating utility shut-off notice or less than 10 days of bulk fuel available. You must make an appointment with the Stark County Community Action Agency (SCCAA) at 330-454-1850 to be interviewed face to face for this program. Phone calls to make appointments will be taken starting the last week of October. Interviews will be conducted at the Alliance office of SCCAA at 243 E. Main St. around the second week of November. No walk-ins will be accepted. Again, you must be income eligible, with the same income guidelines as the regular HEAP program mentioned above.

The Percentage of Income Program (PIIPP) is also available to lower income families. For this program your utility payment is based on a percentage of your income. There are advantages and disadvantages to this program. Just because you are paying a percentage of your income every month doesn't mean the balance of the utility bill goes away. At some point in time you may be held responsible for the balance. You can find out more about this program from SCCAA at 330-454-1850.

The telephone company also has a program to assist lower income families. When you look at your phone bill, you will notice something called a Universal Connectivity charge. Yes, it's hard to figure out what all those little charges are on your phone bill. This particular charge helps to cover the cost of the Lifeline program. Lifeline is a federal program offered by all of Ohio's local telephone companies. Again, there are guidelines for income eligibility. With this program, lower income families can receive a monthly credit toward local telephone service, a waiver of installation and connection charges, or a waiver of deposit requirements. To find out more about this program, you can call 1-800-335-8721.

For any questions on utilities or utility companies, the Ohio Consumer's Counsel is available. They have experts available free of charge to answer your questions. Their toll free number is 1-877-742-5622.