Transcript for Saving Money on Winter Heating Costs

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Well, it's getting more and more painful to fill up at a gas station or fill a tank of oil to heat your home. And we all know why.

Look, we're making progress shifting to other sources of energy to heat our homes, but we're still the most dependent on heating oil to heat our homes in the in the entire country. That reliance on heating oil makes us vulnerable to great shifts in global energy markets that drive up costs for Maine people and businesses. This president's war in Iran right now has created the largest fuel supply disruption in global history and has driven energy prices to record highs. The price of heating oil in Maine has reached more than $6 a gallon, so you'll be paying almost $800 more to fill a standard 275 gallon tank than you did a year ago. Kerosene prices are also reaching historic highs, all because of this war.

Maine people should not be forced to choose between staying warm or putting food on the table because the president chose to drag us into a needless war -- and an endless war, it appears.

My administration is doing what it can to help people save money on heating costs and stay comfortable in their homes this winter.

It's not enough, but I've directed the Department of Health and Human Services to identify households that would be eligible for $40 million in discounts on their electric bills through Maine's Low Income Assistance Program, or LIAP. Starting in November, thousands of eligible families who are customers of CMP or Versant will begin to see discounts ranging from 20 percent to 80 percent, and these will be applied automatically every month to their electric bills. It's one thing we can do. Families who already get federal assistance for home heating oil through LIHEAP, the Low Income Energy Assistance Program, will also be enrolled automatically in this state assistance program, LIAP, to get the maximum savings on their electric bills without any unnecessary paperwork. Customers with questions about this discount should contact their electric company directly.

I've also called on Congress to increase funding for federal home heating assistance, and I thank Maine's congressional delegation for their bipartisan support for LIHEAP funding, despite the president's attempts to eliminate this program. And that's just not enough, though, to make up for the skyrocketing costs driven by tariffs and the president's war. Congress must ensure the safety and comfort of Maine people heading into this winter season by increasing LIHEAP funding.

In the meantime, MaineHousing has distributed about $4 million to heating fuel companies for some of our most vulnerable households, those with older adults on small incomes or small children. Those trucks will begin delivering fuel to those homes over the next few days. We're also talking to farmers and foresters and other entities that use diesel fuel a lot about other ways we might be able to help them address high diesel prices here in Maine.

I'm proud to say that thanks to our investments over the years in energy efficiency and clean energy, our reliance on heating oil has fallen from 70 percent of Maine households in 2010 to just over 50 percent now. Still, it's not enough. My administration will continue to make it as affordable as possible to transition to clean energy sources like heat pumps, to save people money, and to make sure we're not left to shoulder the burden of the president's blunders.

Are you interested in exploring heat pumps or using wood or propane to heat your home instead of oil and kerosene? Are you curious about energy assistance programs? Weatherization? Do you need contact information for local community action agencies or MaineHousing or Efficiency Maine Trust? Our Winter Heating Guide, published every year by the Maine Department of Energy Resources, has all that information, as well as some helpful tips about winterizing and saving money, and about contact information, and links to online resources. You can view and download that Winter Heating Guide and review the latest heating fuel prices at Maine.gov/Energy.

This crisis affects all of us - low income, middle income, everyone who has a home, everyone who has a bill to pay this winter. But as the weather continues to get colder, I encourage all Maine people to see how they might save money and stay warm through the winter by using our current Maine Winter heating guide found at Maine.gov/Energy.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Please stay warm, and thank you for listening.