Low-income customers of FirstEnergy Corp. can receive up to $500 in assistance with their electric bills through the new Ohio Fuel Fund Grant Program.
The program will provide financial assistance to about 42,000 FirstEnergy Corp. electrical customers in northern and central Ohio over the next three years.
FirstEnergy has set aside $8.5 million to fund the program following two state agreements over rate-related cases.
Customers of FirstEnergy's utility companies — Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating and Toledo Edison — may qualify for the program. FirstEnergy has about 926,000 customers in Ohio.
The maximum grant allowed per family in most cases is $300; however, $500 will be provided in cases of extreme hardship. To qualify, customers must have an active account and a pattern of ''good faith'' payments, have applied for the Ohio LIHEAP, and have a total household income at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines, or $44,100 for a family of four.
Source: Ohio newspapers
