Many Minnesotans may not know that they qualify for heating assistance — or even a free furnace this winter.
On Monday, Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold urged low-income Minnesotans to seek out financial aid to keep their furnace running or boost insulation as the temperatures plummet this winter.
"I think the issue is people not assuming they qualify," Walz said. "It's just a basic human right to have your home be warm enough, especially in our cold winters."
Minnesota's federally funded energy assistance program, which helps with energy bills or repairs, already is assisting more Minnesotans this year, providing $34 million since this fall to 59,000 households — up from 40,000 households last year. Many of those households are seniors or people with families or disabilities.
"Every Minnesotan deserves to be safe and warm in their home," Arnold said.
Minnesota's cold weather rule, a state law, means that utility customers — whether a renter or homeowner — can't have their electric or natural gas service shut off between Oct. 1 and April 30, as long as they're on a payment plan.
Residents can cut their energy bill by adding insulation and other efforts covered by the state's separate Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income residents with free improvements. Thanks to additional funding from the Legislature last session and the federal government, that program will be expanded this year to help more Minnesotans.
There's high demand for both state programs, Arnold said. For instance, the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties has received 15,000 applications so far this year for the energy assistance program and has provided financial assistance to about 7,000 households, said Sandra Pyles, senior director of assistance programs and technology.
