(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Iowans may face a more expensive heating season ahead, as a new report projects energy costs will rise a little over 8% this winter.
Lorri Ferris, who leads the Iowa Community Action Association, says agencies that oversee the Low-Income House Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) expect more households to seek help because of inflation and rising utility costs.
First-round LIHEAP applications for certain households start next month and run through April. Ferris says this year’s federal funding level is still unknown.
The report comes from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which says heating costs would be even higher without the warmer temperatures projected under the El Niño weather pattern.
